Unfortunate Relations
by Eliniel
Summary: Sixth year will soon be drawing to a close. But for Harry, Ron, and Hermione, the danger's just beginning as the trio sets out to find and destroy Voldemort's seven horcruxes. Who is this mysterious R.A.B who seems to have joined in their crusade?
1. A Twist and a Blink

**Unfortunate Relations**

**Disclaimer:** Everything you see here is NOT mine. sobs Except for Katie. The rest are good ol' J. K. Rowling's. She rocks!

_Note: OK everyone, before I start, I'd just like to say that this is my first story on golf clap Yay for me. Anywho, this first chapter may seem a little hard-to-get, but things'll fall into place once I get this story going. _

_**REALLY IMPORTANT NOTE: **This entire chapter is a DREAM sequence._

Chapter One: A Twist and a Blink

"Remember: You are _dead._ Make sure you don't do anything reckless for a long while." There was a twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes when he said it- almost as if he knew she wouldn't pay any attention to his words of warning.

"But sir-" the pleading was evident in her voice, but for once inherited pride escaped her. "Sir," she began again in what she hoped was a firmer tone, "How will I know-?"

"You'll know when you're ready to come out of hiding." The old headmaster's eyes no longer twinkled as he interrupted her. "Unless I am gravely mistaken, Katherine, I will never see you again. And for that I am sorry; there is so much more I could have taught you…"

There was a long pause as the slender girl bowed her head, hands trembling, tears fogging up her dark, grey eyes. Anything would have been better to run away to than this place- a damp cave out in the darkness- but even this thought was thrust to the back of her head as others, more demanding, took its place.

A bitter debate raged fiercely in her head- why couldn't she just tell Dumbledore that she had changed her mind? That she would rather take her chances among friends, instead of face the vast loneliness that was to be her only solace for- who knew how long?

'_He'd_ catch you.' The sensible part of her reasoned. 'And then…then you'd be worse than dead- you'd be one of _them_. You know he'd make you.'

And then there was that little voice deep inside of her, always biting, always whispering…'_But would it be so bad, being one of them?'_ the sweet poison tempted, '_Tom's your uncle. Why not trust…?'_

Katie flicked her sleek black hair from her pale face, meeting the headmaster's eyes once again. "Goodbye, Dumbledore." She said loudly, silencing her inner turmoil.

Dumbledore, who seemed to have the knack of always understanding everyone, said in a sad, I-wish-I-could-make-the-voices-go-away, final kind of tone, "Goodbye." That was all he said. That was all he could say. Even Albus Dumbledore, a renowned wizard, could say nothing reassuring to her. So, with simply a goodbye, Dumbledore disappeared.

And with him, so did Katie's life, her school, her happiness, her everything. Gone, in a twist and a blink. She shivered, looking around at the cave that was to be her home (home? never was there more irony in the word!). At least she was close to Diagon Alley- though that wouldn't even do her much good. The purpose of living here was to _hide_, not socialize. Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance, lightning answered. Instinctively, Katie hugged her knees closer to her body, rocking back and forth.

"My name is Katherine Alex Riddle. My name is Katherine Alex Riddle. My name is-" She stopped. There was a lump in her throat, and Kat knew that the last thing she needed was to cry. She had played this childhood name-game so many times, so many thunderstorms ago, huddled on a couch or wrapped in a warm blanket.

But she was in a cave now. And she didn't have a blanket. In place of the warmth she should have felt at her own name, there was only a chilling cold that seemed to eat away at everything else. How could she feel comfort when her name now only brought back images of terror, of pain?

"My name is Katherine Alex Riddle, and I _hate_ that name." she whispered brokenly into the darkness. All at once, as if oblivious to her pain, the darkness grew thicker.

"Yes, we're very similar, you and I…I used to hate the very same name…now I have a much better one." The soft, familiar murmur echoed hauntingly through the cave.

He'd found her! Startled, angry, Katie pulled out her wand. "_Impedimentra!_" she muttered, sending a bright stream of light rocketing straight towards Voldemort. He looked much younger, though…like the Tom Riddle she had known what seemed a long, long time ago…

"Is that all the greeting you give your favorite uncle?" He smiled coldly, eyes glinting red as he easily deflected the spell and lit his own wand to see her better.

"How did you find me?" Katie snarled, now upright and prepared to do battle. That was the only advantage of having Lord Voldemort as an uncle; she wasn't afraid of him.

His piercing laugh rang loudly in her ears. "How did I find you?" he mocked, "Katherine, I'm in you, your life, your very _dreams._"

"NO!" she screamed, trying to forget her uncle's biting words. '_But,'_ said that small voice inside her, _'There's no escaping the truth.'_

"Why deny it? I am in your very _blood_, Katie. You _will_ join me, before the end. You must. Don't you realize that you haven't any choice?"

"Every-everyone has a choice…" Katie's voice faltered. She knew she was fighting a losing battle. She didn't even believe what she was arguing.

Voldemort took advantage of the moment. Before she could stop him, he had closed the gap between them by grabbing her wrist. Katie screamed- powerless to stop the burning pain that shot up and down her arm. With a flick of his hand, Voldemort lifted Katie's robe so her wrist was visible- the dark mark flashed red.

"Everyone…but you."

_Ok…end of the first chapter…dramatic music…hoped everyone liked it! PLEASE leave a review…I'd really like some feedback- advice, what you liked about this chapter, what you didn't, whatever. After all, what's an author w/out feedback? LOL I'll get to work on the next chapter…sorry if it takes a while! Later. _


	2. An Interesting Discovery

**Unfortunate Relations**

**Disclaimer:** Once again, characters are J. K. Rowling's…blah blah blah…

_Note: Wow! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed my story so far! I'm overwhelmed! Virtual cookies to all! Ummm…yeah. So here's the part where I thank you all sincerely, right? ;)_

_**Knights of Ne**: Yes- it seemed a bit fast moving, didn't it? That was my fault- I forgot to inform everyone that it was a DREAM sequence. Did I mention it's my first story? hehe…I really appreciate your criticism, though, and I really hope you continue to give me ideas, comments, ect. Thanks again! P.S. - I love that movie (Holy Graille). _

_**Lily Laurelinn:** Yay! I'm so glad you're on fanfic now! I'll post the second chapter soon, I promise. I'm looking forward to reading some of YOUR stories when you write them!_

_**Gylfie: **sends elven chibi army to give you hugs I'm really glad you like my story so far…and I can't believe you're out of town. I NEED TO TALK TO YOU! Argh. Call me soon! Thanks again, 'great rival.' _

_**Shadowed Rains:** Thanks for your detailed review! I know what you mean about original characters, but it's always been rather hard for me to create new stories with characters created by someone else…Yes, the first chapter was a little bit misleading (or confusing, I'd call it), but I'm trying to write the other one to explain things a little better. I will warn you that Katie's past is difficult to express in a few chapters, so it'll take a while before you 'know her' very well. I can't wait for your next comments! By the way, I know what it feels like to be up at three…argh…_

_**glitterglow: **Thank you! I hope I can make Katie's character even clearer to you through this next chapter. I'm glad you're enjoying my story! Oh, and you're welcome! _

_**Irish Anor:** Yay! You know elvish, too! And here I thought I was just crazy…lol… I really appreciate your review, and your help! That first chapter was a dream sequence- I forgot to mention that to everyone…which is annoying (especially since I proofread it like SIX times…don't you hate when that happens?) And how do you let anonymous reviewers review? Thanks so much for you tips and comments! Yeah, I know what you mean about rhyme scheme being different in songs and poems- I write both, too. Vanya sulie, melon nin!_

_**Silent in the Dark:** Thanks for your review, and compliments! I hope you like this next chapter. It has a little different feel to it so…yeah. As to reviewing your story, anytime!_

_**BregoBeauty: **Thanks! And yes to your character summary- but it's not really her coming to her senses. It's more…the element of Voldemort being a part of her- the fact that whether she likes it or not, she'll join him. Thank you again! _

_**firewolfalpha:** I really appreciate your review! I'd explain to you why Voldemort has a niece now, but I can't- I'll reveal that particular piece of info later on in the story. Like I said- a lot of mystery going on- so there's a lot to reveal! Argh (hard for me, and everyone else). Sorry the time wasn't clear- this is kinda taking place during the sixth book- so no, he's not dead…yet…evil smile…I hope you stick around for the rest of the story!_

_**Ailinn:** Nice special effects…lol…cues evil organ music and blood-curdling scream in the distance Yeah…anyways…thanks for your review! Here's that update you wanted…hope you like it!_

_Just to let everyone know, Harry, Ron, and Hermione WILL be coming in. Just not yet. Hold on! **And don't forget- that first chapter was a dream Katie was having. Sorry I didn't make that clear.**_

Chapter Two: Erm…why?

"_Everyone…but you."_

The words resounded in Katie's head and, try as she might, she just couldn't make them go away. She sat upright, for a split second thinking she was back in the Gryffindor Dormitory- waking up from a very long, very bad dream. A cold sweat trickled down her neck as she came back to reality- the cold, hard reality she had been living in for at least half a year. Katie couldn't run to Hogwarts anymore. It wasn't any safer, less in fact, that this stupid cave. The dream she had had just seconds ago still flashed vivid pictures through her mind…pictures that wouldn't stop coming…

"Lumos!" Katie's illuminating wand chased away her nightmares…for now, anyway…She never could really escape the nightmares. She had known that ever since her first night in this cave.

Well, there was one way out. Dumbledore had shared with her Voldemort's one (more accurately- seven) weaknesses, his horcruxes. Not that she hadn't already suspected as much. How else could he have risen to power again so quickly? Luckily, Katie had a good idea of where at least one of the horcruxes was hidden.

"Then why don't I just leave now?" She wondered aloud, trying desperately to untangle her sleek black hair at the same time. As if she didn't know the answer. It's not as if she wasn't ready to leave this place, more a prison than home. From the moment Dumbledore had left her here, she had continued learning new spells and techniques from old fifth year textbooks she had, on Dumbledore's request, reluctantly brought with her. In comparison to Katie's Comet 2000, felix felicis (stolen, though she hated to admit it), and a wand, schoolbooks hadn't seemed very important. At first. No, she was ready to find and destroy as many horcruxes as she could.

But what Katie wouldn't admit, even to herself, was that something was holding her back. Something more frightening to her that Voldemort could ever be. Trying to forget about her troubles for the night at least, Katie closed her dark eyes to sleep away the remaining darkness…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You think she'll be here today?"

"Dunno. Never know with her, do you? Fairly mysterious, that one." The identical boys looked at one another and shrugged. Turning from each other, their hazel eyes swept the bustling shop, customers coming and going…Unfortunately (and obnoxiously), not all of those customers were the paying kind.

"Hey, you!" The first one, Fred, stepped forward to smack a little boy's hand away from the shelf. "No pinching pygmy puffs- or anything for that matter!" Fred hadn't meant to snap, but that was the _sixth_ time today someone had tried to pilfer. Both he and George were a little edgy.

The boy shuffled guiltily, looking up at George with piteous eyes. George, however, was unsympathetic. "Out, now! Move along!" he harshly ushered the small thief outside, slamming the door behind him.

"Stupid git." Fred muttered darkly. "First year, by the looks of him. And on Christmas break, too…" the two shook their heads sadly.

"Now, what house do you reckon he's in?" George asked sarcastically while straightening boxes on the shelves.

"Slytherin." They stated in unison, rolling their eyes.

"I think we need to hire some menacing security guards. What do you think, George?" George opened his mouth to reply, but a voice from behind interrupted.

"I don't know about that…your faces are enough to scare anyone away…"

The twins spun around, though they knew who had spoken even before their hazel eyes met a pair of dark grey ones.

"Why, it's our best customer!"

"Hullo, Katie! Nasty joke, y'know…"

Katie grinned evilly, flicking blond hair out of her eyes. "How do you know I was joking? Hullo Fred. Hullo George." There were smiles and pats all around, and the three began to meander around the crowded shop.

"We wondered if you'd come today."

"_You_ wondered, George. _I_, however, knew all along-"

"Oh, come off it, you prat! You didn't know-"

"How do you know what I was thinking? We may be identical, but we're not telepa-"

"Hey!" Katie, who was trying her best not to laugh as the twins exchanged death glares, quickly interjected. "As much as I _love_ getting caught in the middle of an argument, let's do it another time, shall we?" Fred and George grunted in moody agreement. "So…why _wouldn't_ I be here?" she asked, switching subjects. "I come every other week- what would stop me?" Katie quirked her blond head to the side, one eyebrow raised.

"Well…" Fred began reluctantly, "things are getting…erm…pretty dark in the wizarding world…We thought you might have…you know…" his voice trailed off. Katie understood perfectly what he was trying to say, and her eyebrow lifted even higher.

"Died?" She finished Fred's statement. "It must be bad, if the forever jokesters, Fred and George Weasley, are being serious for once."

They smiled weakly. "Also," added George, not to be outdone by his brother, "You seem like the wandering type."

"Yeah…I guess I am…"…_'Or I should be.'_ Katie's face seemed distant as she absent-mindedly fingered a pygmy puff. It squeaked faintly and promptly fell over, snoring. She continued to stroke it, suddenly lost in thought. Why wasn't she already out there, searching for horcruxes?

"Then why don't you do some wandering?"

"Yeah, we don't want you here anyway." George piped up cheerily, a joking grin on his face.

"Shut _up_, git! That's not what I meant by-"

"I dunno…" Katie whispered, more to herself that anyone else. She was lying, though. Again. _'What am I afraid of?' _she thought.

"Katie…? I was just joking…Katie!"

Katie was too lost in thought to even hear George's nervous call. _'What am I afraid of…?'_ The answer to her own question hit hard.

'_Yourself.'_

She started out of her reverie. "Hey, how much is this pygmy puff?"

"Four sickles. Erm…why?"

Katie didn't answer, but instead pressed the money into Fred's hand. "Fred…George…I've got to go. See you later, alright?" She gave the twins each a quick hug, turned, and strode out of the store with her new pygmy puff.

"You've done it now, George…'We don't want you…', why'd you have to go off and say a thing like that?"

"I was joking! Just-" His angry expression became suddenly thoughtful. "Hey…wasn't her hair _brown_ last time we saw her…?" George's eyes watched Katie exit the shop.

"Yeah…I think you're right! And she was taller last time, too!" The two exchanged incredibly confused looks. They dashed out of the shop, risking items stolen to have their questions answered. "KATIE!" Fred and George exclaimed together, turning the corner. But she had disappeared.

_I bet Fred and George aren't the only ones confused right now, huh? Don't worry. All will be revealed in time. nods sagely Well, I'm sorry if it takes a long time for the next chapter…I'm kinda divided on what should happen next…feel free to leave suggestions! They would be much appreciated. Alright. Vanya Sulie!_


	3. Confessions of a Troubled Mind

**Unfortunate Relations**

**Disclaimer:** By now you should know: NOT MINE. Except for Katie and the plot.

_DEDICATION: I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my sister- her brilliant idea saved my butt on this one! Thanks, 'Liza. You rock!_

_Anywho- I'd like to thank all my awesome-beyond-all-reason reviewers: You rock- beyond all reason! lol. I'd really like to thank you all more personally, but it'd take too long. So I'll just thank the new people, or answer any direct questions, etc. Thanks!_

_**Irish Anor:** Thanks for your review! Yeah, I didn't really know the anonymous reviewers thingy wasn't on…grumbles inaudibly about stupidity of computers…so anyway- on to LOTR! lol Gurth gothrim Tel'Quessir! MWHAHAHAHAHA! Elvish is the best language in the world…except technically it doesn't really exist…oh well! That just shows what a brilliant linguist Tolkien was! Wait…I'm supposed to be talking about how awesome Harry Potter is…(giggles nervously)…Actually, my character's not Katie Bell, sorry if I didn't make that clear (there I go again withmy stupid mistakes- I'm almost certain one's gonna happen every chapter!), but about the whole 'major typos' thing, all I can say is- ARGH! I proofread my stuff like six times, too. How does stuff manage to go so horribly wrong (like the stupid DREAM thing!)? Ah, well. The only good thing about mess-ups is that everybody does them. _

_**baka-chibi-puffs**: Hi, Lizzie! Sorry, I TRIED to call you, but SOMEONE wasn't home…oh yeah. That would be you. (Sarcastic laugh) Thanks for your review! Call me, 'k? _

_**Lily Laurelinn:** Yay! (kills you with suspense) MWHAHAHAHAHA! Don't worry, the third chapter will soon be up…oh, and my exclamation marks say hi!...!_

_**Knights of Ne:** Yes, this chapter had that effect, didn't it? Even on me- and I know what's going to happen! lol …No! NOOOO! Not NE! Anything but Ne!...ok, done with ranting…but seriously, thanks for your review!_

_**Kakis:** Thanks for thinking that my story's…ummm…cool! I really appreciate it. ;)_

_**1Gabs:** Thank you so much! I hope you like this chapter- it reveals a bit more of the mystery. But not all (at least enough, I hope, to make things a little clearer). Thanks once again for your input!_

_**padfootblack6293:** Thank you! Oh, and no problem to reviewing your story. I really hope you enjoy this chapter!_

_**forty-two dreams**: __You're right about the twin thing…and I really wish I could explain it now! But I can't…I promise that I WILL explain it- in the near or not so near future…and thanks so much for this review!_

_**notavailable:** Thanks for the feedback, and yes, I read your story! And loved it! Thanks again for the review. ;) "I defy you. I HAVE FREE WILL!" Cool line. I think you've inspired me to read that series! Thanks! Don't worry…often I give the longest replies ever! Argh! lol_

_**Hidden Magic:** Thanks! I hope you like this chapter!_

_**Silent in the Dark:** Thank you for your review! Yeah, the reason she knows Fred and George is because she lives in a cave near Diagon Alley and has to go down every now and then for food, thus meeting Fred and George, kinda like Sirius hid in a cave near Hogsmeade. I probably didn't make that clear, which, in that case, I apologize. Thanks again!_

_**Faetrix:** Thanks! Yeah, I know the confused-feeling is annoying…but little by little it'll be made clear. I really hope you enjoy this chapter! Yeah, Fred and George rock beyond all reason, don't they? They're my favorite characters. ;)_

_**Morning Rose:** Thanks so much for reviewing my story! And I can't wait for your new horcrux story…I'm sure it'll be great! And the whole 'uncle' thing (he has a twin…) will be explained in a later chapter. Thanks again!_

_Note:This chapter is a LOT shorter, to my annoyance. Don't worry though- longer ones are coming, I promise. Right now, I'm dying to tell you all of Katie's secrets! Somebody please shoot me! lol This chapter will, I hope, enlighten everyone a little bit more. The whole 'Voldemort's her uncle' thing will be revealed in time (hopefully around the sixth or seventh chapter). Bon appetit! (lol) Oh yeah, and in case someone doesn't get the italics near the beginning (which I'm sure everyone will), those signify a flashback scene._

Chapter Three: Confessions of a Troubled Mind

Back at her cave, Katie took one last cautious look around outside before screwing up her face- slowly, she grew a few inches taller, and her hair resumed its original glossy black length.

_"You're a meta-meta…what? What's that?"_

Katie smiled, recalling her first grade memory of telling a friend, Sarah, that she was a metamorphmagus. She hadn't confided in anyone else- that secret was best-friend material only. _"Watch this!" a much younger, memory Katie closed her eyes and tightened her tubby fingers into a fist so that she looked like she was about to throw a tantrum. In a flash, she was the reflection of Sarah._

_"Whoa…" Sarah's mouth dropped in innocent awe. "…Let me try!"_

_"OK!" Exclaimed the young Katie, thrilled at the prospect of having a best friend Metamorphmagus. Sarah squinted, giving off a frustrated appearance as she tried to imitate her friend. The two sat there like this for five minutes- Katie leaning forward, eyes glinting in anticipation, Sarah squinting so hard that shiny little tears began to form at the corners of her eyes. _

_"Ah, it's no use, Katie." she sighed, crestfallen. _

_Little girl Katie patted her friend on the back sympathetically, resuming her normal features with a loud 'pop!' "It's alright, Sarah." she cooed soothingly. "Race you to the fence?"_

_Sarah's face brightened considerably. "Yeah!"_

The little girls' vanished, along with their forgotten world, their memories placed carefully back into the recesses of Katie's mind. Katie blinked. She found herself staring at her broom; her mind brought back to more recent friends…like Fred and George. _'You could tell the secret to your best friend in the first grade, but you couldn't tell Fred and George?' _she silently reprimanded herself.

She really had hated lying to them- "But what was I supposed to do?" She snapped, angry at her own guilt. "'Hey Fred. Hey George.' " She mocked herself, voice dripping sarcasm. "Guess what? I'M VOLDEMORT'S NIECE!"

"Interesting…"

Katie froze. Had Voldemort found her at last? She hoped not, for the twins' sake- if he had heard that last bit, she knew he would target her only friends to get to her. _Fred and George…_she thought weakly. She felt utterly powerless to save them from her uncle- wait. That voice…_two_ people had spoken in unison. In a flash, Katie collected her thoughts.

Slowly, she turned around. She knew who she would see, even before her dark grey eyes met two pairs of hazel ones. "Fred! George!" Her eyes flashed red, though inwardly she smiled. Katie was glad they had found her.

Mischievous grins lit the twins' faces as they winked at her. "So _this _is the real you?" George questioned curiously, surveying the newly darkened hair and heightened figure.

Katie heard the suspicion in his voice, but she didn't care. At least they hadn't whipped out their wands after hearing her darkest secret. "How- how'd you find me?" Katie questioned in a small voice. She was surprised at the overwhelming relief she had felt at seeing the brothers.

"Easy. We summoned our brooms and tracked you back here." Fred nodded towards two brooms, now floating placidly beside him.

"Nice place you've got, Katie. Really charming."

Katie couldn't help but laugh at George's sarcastic remark, and looked (for the last time, she was sure) at the cold stone encompassing the unlikely trio.

"Yeah." Fred added, "Can we come and visit you more often?"

"Guys…as much as I'd like that, as much as _you'd _like that," she winked, "…I- I have to leave."

_See? I told you this chapter would be shorter…and it is. MUCH shorter…ah, well. Maybe the next chapter will find a happy medium, if that's at all possible. (in a dramatic soap opera voice) Katie's leaving! How will the twins handle it? What will their reactions be? Stay tuned! laughs Ok, so that was nerdy. Well- once again, feel free to leave reviews and comments!_

_**AUTHOR'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT NOTE:** Everyone, I love your reviews to death, and I wish I could thank you all personally each and every time- but it takes up too much space, making the chapter look too incredibly long…and for some strange, unknown reason, that bugs me. So I'll leave personal remarks only for people who ask a question, ect or say something that makes me want to answer it. Thanks!_


	4. A Quick Farewell

**Unfortunate Relations**

_**Note:**Thanks to all who reviewed! I really appreciate everyone's input- and in case you didn't read the BOLD LETTERS at the end of chapter three…go back and read them. lol Yeah…so to those who I didn't respond to- please don't be angry! (cringes) Ha ha…anyway…You guys all rock beyond all possible reason, beyond all the realms of imagining…ok. I'm gonnna stop with the poetic-ness now. Alright- enjoy!_

_**Irish Anor:**Elladin and Elrohir! Yay! I know what you mean…I'm pretty much one of the worst persons for making assumptions- but at least some of the time they're right! The rest of the time I just end up looking strange…LOL! Thank you for your comments about diction, syntax and imagery. I had kind of let those words sink to the back of my mind, instead of come out first, so…thanks for the reminder! You're probably wondering why I conveniently forgot to answer your Fred and George question, right? (there I go again, making stupid conjectures that probably aren't even true) Well, you'll see…_

_**Ailinn:** Thanks for your comments! You're right, I guess I could have put in the jealousy thing…but they were little, AND best friends…so I thought it best to not include that. Also, that would have drawn me more into the flashback then I would have liked to go- for my purposes, keeping it simple is best. I decided to play on the characteristic short-term memory of small kids. Hope you like this chapter!_

_**Knights of Ne:** Yes, they are the coolest magical people! lol…You know, I had originally considered making her a animagus- but then I realized that this much more suit her character (and was way more practical for the story). Fred and George did take it remarkably well, didn't they? Though it won't always be that way…I mean, other people will not be so forgiving…but she needs to have at least SOMEONE to back her up- and they seemed like the most likely people._

_**elven-jewel-18:** I'm so glad you liked it! And thanks for reviewing- it's much appreciated!_

Chapter Four: A Quick Farewell

"What?" Fred and George's characteristic grins fell from their faces. "No." George stated flatly. "No, you're not leaving. You can't!"

"Yeah…I mean, you've been hiding yourself this whole time…"

"And now, when we just found out, you're going!"

"Running away from someone?" Fred asked, failing to keep the bitterness from his voice.

With a sigh, Katie shook her head. She had a lot of explaining to do. "Running." She paused, trying to get the right words to come out (which with Katie, was usually impossible). "That's what I thought; but I can't run away from my problem. That- that's not my point, though." Katie hastily interrupted herself when she saw that both twins were unconvinced. "Fred. George. I lied to you- sorry, that was obvious- but what I'm trying to say is…I'm sorry for the lies. Really sorry. And I hope you'll forgive me, though I wouldn't blame you if you didn't. The only reason I lied to you, is because I thought…that you'd be afraid of me, or try to turn me in because I was dangerous…" she ended lamely, shaking her head at how stupid she sounded…she never _had_ been very good at explaining.

For a moment, no one said anything. The twins just looked at her, probing her with their dark hazel eyes. Then they smiled. "Oh, Katie-" Fred breathed between chuckles (both had a hard time of thinking of Katie as _dangerous_), "Of course we'll forgive you."

"Most definitely. Everybody has secrets- well, yours are a little _extreme_, but…we don't care." They were still laughing.

"Thanks." she smiled in relief. "Now- WHAT'S SO FUNNY?" Katie angrily put her hands on her hips, her face going slightly pink.

Fred and George blinked. "In case you haven't noticed- it's really hard for us to see you as…dangerous." They grinned, holding back laughter that otherwise would have lasted much longer.

"Oh." Katie blushed. _'That's only because you don't really know me…' _

"Could you just answer one question?" George asked, his face serious.

"Sure."

Fred and George looked at each other before blurting in unison, "How'd you do that hair-changing thing!"

"Oh, yeah, that." She took a deep breath, glad that the subject had been changed. "I'm a metamorphmagus." _pop! _Her face was immediately replaced with an exact replica of the twins' heads, "See?"

"Whoa…" _pop!_ Katie was back to being herself. An uneasy silence ensued as Fred and George attempted to master their shock.

"Just do us a favor, will you?" A still-amazed Fred questioned.

"Erm…alright. What might that be?"

"Never do that again- change into us, I mean."

George nodded his head in earnest agreement. "Yeah. Having a twin is weird enough as it is." He voiced his opinion.

Now it was Katie's turn to laugh.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I don't get it, Katie. How can you be Voldemort's niece- when he was an only child?" George nodded vehemently to his brother's question, and Katie gave a twisted smile.

"Yeah…you wouldn't know about my dad, would you? He was Uncle Tom- I mean, Voldemort's twin…and, coincidentally, nothing like him. They were complete opposites. Dad was a squib, and a bit of a…erm…loser."

Fred and George had both sat down by now (as if they were listening to some sort of story)- but at that they stood up. "Come on, your dad couldn't be that bad…I mean, a loser?" George questioned in disbelief. The twins, she thought, were so lucky. _They must have a good father, to be able to be shocked at what I'm saying._

"You have no idea. He wasn't much of a father to me…never told me anything about my mum, never talked to me at all, in fact- I guess that's why I loved my uncle so much. You see, when my dad was somewhere around four years old (at least I found this much out), he ran away from the orphanage: he never told me why, but I'm assuming it had something to do with Tom's cruelty…" Katie's voice trailed off; she could have gone into more detail- but she didn't really want to.

"So…now that we know your secret, can you stay?" Both Fred and George immediately attempted the puppy-dog face, and Katie smiled in spite of herself.

"Oh, sure. 'Cause when uncle Voldemort finds out where I am, he'll see what a good time I'm having and he won't want to hurt me. Or my friends."

Fred rolled his eyes at her sarcastic reply. "Fine. Be difficult, then."

"We'll just have to come with you."

For just one second, all Katie's burdens seemed to have left her. Life would be so much easier with Fred and George to help her…but the lovely, unexpected feeling of happiness and security soon left her. "No." She stated in a flat and simple tone. The twins opened their mouths in protest but were quickly interrupted. "This is something I have to do…alone. You _can't_ come. Besides, if you did- think of the consequences-"

"We're _pranksters_. How can you accuse us of not considering consequences?"

"We don't _care_, Katie. We're coming."

"Look! Do you really think I _like_ telling you that you can't come with me? If Voldemort killed you…or used _me_ to kill you…"

Once again, Fred opened his mouth to argue, but George stopped him. He took a resolutely step forward. "Alright." he softly agreed, his gaze never breaking with Katie's. "We'll let you go, not because we're afraid, or don't want to protect you…"

"But because we respect you." Fred gave her a twisted smile.

"I- I've got to get my stuff." Katie whispered brokenly, turning to gather her belongings and also to quickly brush away her tears. It was nice, she thought, to know she had friends who cared about her.

"Why _are _you leaving, anyway?" Fred tried to keep his voice casual, to no avail.

"There really isn't any time to explain." Katie hurried herself out of the cave.

"Well, good luck with that, then." George looked at Fred and shrugged his shoulders in response to Katie's vague explanation.

Quite suddenly, Katie paused to throw her arms around the twins.

"Goodbye Fred. Goodbye, George." Without another word, she turned from the stunned twins to climb up onto her broom.

"WAIT!" her two friends called together. Katie turned.

They each held up a scattered collection of old textbooks. "Aren't you going to take these with you?"

Katie grinned wryly. "Burn them for me, will you?" She laughed, then sped away on her broom.

Turning, Katie saw two specks waving one last farewell.

_NOOOOOO! What an idiot! Leaving Fred and George- what is she thinking! Ha ha, you'll find out next chapter…Please read and review- I love your comments and/or criticism!_


	5. Short Stop, Sudden Drop

**Unfortunate Relations**

_**Note to Everyone:** To all you reviewers out there- thank you so much! Your criticism and comments are not only appreciated but motivating. Sorry it took me so long to update (I'm actually working on the seventh chapter, I just wanted to get a head start on that one before I showed you this one)! This one is, I think, a bit longer than all my others; I really hope you all enjoy it. Thanks for being so patient with me! Just a warning to everyone: this chapter's rather insane. ;) Not only that, but it's darker, too. I was feeling a bit angsty, I guess._

_**Irish Anor:** Gar! Death to challenging description! jk Thanks for the criticism, though…and I hope you like this chapter- I think it has some more imagery. It's just that, in the last chapter, there wasn't really much to describe; she was in a cave the whole time. And, Yes! I LOVED doing the dialogue between Fred, George, and Katie- that's my favorite part!_

_**Knights of Ne**: (gasps!) Disneyland? I am SO jealous of you right now…what's your favorite ride? Mine's Indiana Jones. ;) Anywho (I think you sucked me in to your randomness), about the chapter. Yes, she is searching for the horcruxes -though in my opinion, she's not quite psychologically ready for it. But, then again, what hero ever is? So…I hope you like this chapter. It's a bit…darker. (thunder rumbles, evil laughter)_

_**bluekiwibubble:** Yeah, sorry about the confusion, but- you're right. That's the plan! (cackles) lol, and to your last question, yes and no. It's sort of during it, if you know what I mean. Oh, and you're welcome about the review! Thank YOU!_

_**the-insufferable-know-it-all: **Thanks for reviewing! I hope you like this chapter!_

_**Georgentosser:** Thanks! I'm glad you liked it...yeah, sorry about the confusion. I think that first chapter had the typo to end all typos: me forgetting to mention it was a dream. (sighs) Ah, well. Nobody's perfect, least of all me._

Chapter Five: Short Stop, Sudden Drop

"Hmmm…let's see…That cloud looks like a…erm…oh, to hell with it!" Katie muttered darkly, cursing under her breath. After a long flight to nowhere, she was both tired and irritable- _not_ the best combination. The wind whistled past her ears and through her hair as she tried to egg the broom on- but it was no Firebolt.

_'A cove by the sea…a cove by the sea…how hard can it be to find _that_?' _Of course, deep down she knew there were many coves by the sea…

Not that she didn't know where she was going (didn't she?), it was just taking _much _longer than expected. No matter how fast she flew, the sea grew no closer. It felt like she was under some spell, doomed to forever travel, never reaching her destination- but she knew it was just an unfortunate trick of the eye. How hard _was _it to find a cave by the sea, exactly? Very hard, by broomstick.

Once again, Katie found herself wishing she could Apparate better. She had made a desperate attempt earlier (on her _broomstick_), which resulted in her losing her balance and almost falling off. Trying to make the best of this impossibly long trip, Katie abandoned the cloud-shape game and started to hum.

A far-off hum answered her, but Katie was too bent on getting where she needed to go to notice it. The hum grew increasing louder, overpowering her own tune with an obnoxious buzzing. As she rolled her eyes, Katie swiveled her broom around to face what seemed to be purposely annoying her.

Her annoyance, however, quickly turned to concern as her grey eyes grew wider. An airplane was headed straight towards her. Katie groaned, leaning forward to let her broomstick smack her on the forehead in reproof. How could she have been so stupid?

It was much too late to conceal herself with a camouflage spell, so she decided to take the obvious way out. Without caring where she landed or how she did it, Katie turned her broomstick and began a straight dive downwards.

She could feel the wind whistling past her face, and for several moments she was caught up in the rush of flight…Then she hit trees.

It was difficult to bite back a scream as the ground that had been so far away seconds ago quickly became closer…and closer…and closer…

Her descent was nearing an end- but the forest, apparently, was not finished with her. Tree branches clawed unmercifully, tearing at her clothes and skin.

As soon as it had begun, it was over. Miraculously, Katie managed to pull up right before crashing- but not before being knocked off her broom and skidding to a painful halt.

She sprawled against a tree and moodily wiped blood from her eyes and hands- the red substance contrasting starkly with her white skin. Katie ran her hands through her sleek, black hair, but after a while gave up trying to comb it; once again, it was too hopelessly tangled.

"So much for a happy landing." Katie grumbled, chucking a rock at a nearby squirrel. But even her sulking was interrupted as a sharp voice rang out, echoing even in these muffled surroundings.

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

Katie was sharply brought back to reality as the all-too familiar spell caught her ears. Instinctively she rolled out of harm's way to draw out her wand.

But the curse wasn't directed at her. Various hexes were being yelled from somewhere to her left, and Katie suddenly wanted, more than anything, to hide behind the nearest tree until it was all over. She was about to, when a voice cut into her thoughts.

'_How can you fight Lord Voldemort if you can't even take on a couple of Death Eaters?'_

Katie slowly shook her head. Though it was against almost every nerve in her body, she began to warily step forward, careful not to crack any twigs (which was difficult, considering she was in the middle of a forest). But what if she was caught?...quickly, Katie transformed her features- blond hair, freckles…now no one would recognize her as Voldemort's niece. She finally found a bush she could hide behind and cautiously peered through its branches.

"_Impedimentra_!"

The air seemed thick with silent tension; Katie quickly looked around to see who had fallen…her heart sank as she realized it was the _Auror_ on the ground. '_Move! Now's your chance; he'll die if you don't jump in now!'_ But Katie couldn't move. It felt as if she was the one frozen, not the Auror.

'_Coward.'_ The single word cut deeply- mostly because she couldn't deny it. Here she hid, watching, just_ watching_ as an Auror lay helpless on the ground.

Harsh, grating laughter cut sharply into her thoughts. "Look what we've caught…yet _another_ Auror down…" Whispered one of the Death Eaters coldly, giving the stiffened man a cruel kick to the stomach.

The other chuckled softly. "Should we finish him now?"

"No."

Katie blinked in surprise- were they, two pitiless Death Eaters, actually going to show _mercy?_ That couldn't be right…

"Not yet." The man began again. His lips parted into a grin. It was all too obvious what was coming next. "_Crucio!_"

The Auror's eyes widened, screaming pain with their bright intensity. Katie knew that if it hadn't been for the spell, he would have been writhing- but, as it was, it was much worse to see him just lying there, only his eyes telling a story.

_'Go! SAVE HIM…' _so many thoughts were whirring in Katie's head: she wanted to rush into the scene, slaying the Death Eaters while at the same time heroically saving the Auror. She wanted to slink away, crawl behind some tree or bush and never be seen again- just as long as the screaming in her head would stop…She wanted (yes, this part of her was _still_ there) to join in the ruthless laughter of the Death Eaters…

Katie closed her eyes, trying desperately to will her thoughts away, to ignore the unforgiving sneers and red glinting eyes of this man's tormentors, to forget her secret wishes forever…

"Enough." The Death Eater's words seemed to command even Katie's mind as he kicked the man once more. "The Dark Lord will be growing impatient…"

"Oh, alright." answered the other. His tone, sounding for all the world like a boy who had been cheated out of his dessert, made Katie sick. "_Avada Kedavra_!"

"No…" she whispered, the finality of the situation suddenly made clear. It was over; she had watched someone die while she herself had done absolutely nothing…"NO!" The piercing words came unbidden to Katie's lips. She didn't even realize what she was doing- all she could feel was anger, anger for the Death Eaters, but mostly…anger for herself. She had to stop the pain; she had to avenge the savage guilt that burned away at her- "_Impedimentra! IMPEDIMENTRA_!" It was the only hex she could think of. Her eyes brimmed over with tears as she began to charge the two men, all thoughts of caution and hiding abandoned.

But the Death Eaters easily blocked the charms; they had been too well trained to be surprised for long. Within moments, Katie herself was frozen on the ground, and knew, with a sinking heart, that her fate would be no different that that of the man's lying beside her. _'There is ONE difference…he died a brave man. And how did you end your life? As a coward.' _

'_It wasn't supposed to end this way.'_ She thought bitterly. But how else did she think it would end? Happily? Happy endings were for fairytales; she knew that now, if only from unfortunate experiences.

No, she would have died eventually, probably before even raising her wand against Voldemort. Either that, or she would have joined him. And for her, that was much worse than death.

'_I guess it was better this-'_ An explosion of pain erupted within her, scraping away all thoughts with its razor-like precision. There was only room for pain...pain and cold laughter…So this was how it would end? With the laughter of a Death Eater ringing in her ears?

Hot fire coursed up and down her body, burning her very blood away… _'Just kill me…'_ a helpless voice inside of her whispered. _'Please, just let it end…'_

"STUPEFY!"

Katie barely heard the voices speak confidently in unison, barely saw two bodies drop through her hazy vision- and was hardly aware when two warm hands grasped hers to pull her up. The pain was gone now, but it still took her sight some time to clear.

"Hi!"

"Thought you'd need saving."

"Good thing we were here!"

Two identical faces loomed in front of her. "Am I…am I in heaven?" Katie asked weakly, her brows twisting in confusion.

The twins laughed. "Right." said Fred, "And the first thing you see _there_ is our ugly faces."

"Ugly?" an indignant George questioned, "Speak for yourself."

Fred rolled his eyes. "We're identical, idiot." Both of them smiled happily and patted her (a little bit uncertainly) on the back.

"How-how'd you find me?"

"Easy. Broomsticks, of course. And a camouflage spell."

Katie grinned, her eyes expressing the undying gratitude that no words could even come close to saying. Then her face reddened. They shouldn't have come. They weren't supposed to be here. "You…STUPID GITS! I told you not to- you weren't supposed- BUT YOU SAID-!" Try as she might, Katie couldn't splutter out an angry response. Fred and George shuffled guiltily. "I owe you guys one." she finished.

Fred and George looked surprised. "Women." George muttered. Katie laughed.

But the grin soon fell from her lips as she looked back at the Auror who was now and forever beyond saving. His face glistened, still wet with tears. Without fully understanding why, without needing to, Katie bent over the lifeless body. Silent tears fell hotly down her cheek as she mourned this stranger, a man she was all too aware _she_ could have saved.

Finally, she took a shaky breath. For some unknown reason, Katie felt as though she owed this man something, like a tribute. So she spoke. "You did what I could not. You were what I could not be- brave. And I'm sorry…but I will not forget you-" Here her voice grew stronger- "It will be different next time. I swear to that. Goodbye." Her last words came out in a whisper that seemed to linger in the twilight. It was strange how Katie's voice seemed to cut an epitaph for the man, leaving the death spot more reverent than before.

Katie looked up at the twins, who gazed solemnly back; the three wordlessly turned to the Death Eaters.

"What should we do with these two, Katie?"

"We can't just let them go."

Katie stepped forward. Anger flowered inside her as she saw the sneers still frozen on the men's' faces. Only one solution came to mind…

…

"_Tom! Tom! Tom!" Katie squealed, her short legs jumping up and down excitedly. "You're back!"_

"_Well, would you look at that- it's my favorite niece!" The tall man bent down to tickle the little girl mercilessly._

_When the giggles had subsided, Katie looked up at him, grinning, and gave him a big hug. "Silly…I'm your only niece!" It was funny, Katie thought, he seemed such the perfect uncle and friend anyone could ever have. But now, looking back through this flashback, she saw what her seven-year-old self could not: his face was pale; his greedy eyes flashed red…_

"_Even if you weren't my only niece, you'd still be my favorite." He smiled, taking her little hand in his. "Shall we play a game?"_

_This caused even more jumping up and down from Katie. "Oh, yes! Yes, yes!" The two ran as fast as they could out into the modest garden. There wouldn't have been much to do there, but for the small wood it opened out into. "Can we play tag, Uncle Tom?" Katie's black, silky hair ruffled playfully in the breeze._

_Tom's face grew distant, as if he were thinking about something else… "Oh, I don't know about that…" Katie's smiling features dropped, and she lowered her head. "YOU'RE IT!" Her uncle quickly tagged her and began running through the cabbages. _

"_Not fair, Uncle!" Her tone was reproachful, but her face immediately lit up as she dashed after him. _

"_Katie- I think…" he panted, feigning exhaustion. "We should stop…"_

"_NEVER! Ha ha!" she ran forward heroically, attempting to mask her tripping over an unearthed carrot, brandishing a twig she had found along the way._

"_No! Katie! Please…have mercy!" By now, Tom was backed up into a fence-corner, trying hard to look interested._

"_Fool!" she laughed, eyes glinting happily in the sunlight. "I show mercy to no one!"_

_There was that greedy glint in his eyes again- if only she could have known that not only was the game pretend, but also his character. All he wanted was another Death Eater, perhaps more powerful that the rest, standing alongside him. _

_Just as Kate was about to strike, a spider came spindling down its web, hanging from the roof. She screamed, dragging her uncle out of harm's way. "Uncle! I'll save you…spiders are bad!" Her wide, grey eyes looked up at Tom pleadingly; her hands tugged at his arm._

"_Yes." Tom agreed softly. "Spiders _are_ bad, but they're fun to play with…Katie, would you like me to tell you a secret?"_

"_Yeah…" Katie whispered, thrilled at the prospect of sharing a big secret (what seven-year-old wouldn't be?). _

"_You have to promise not to tell." He looked at her with a serious expression, and she solemnly nodded. "Would you like it to dance?" Katie nodded again, and Uncle Tom whispered in her ear. "Got it?"_

"_I- I think so…" she pulled out her wand, an early birthday present from the previous year, and yelled "Imperio!" The spider danced. Katie clapped. "Yay! More fun, please!" _

_And so the fun continued; Tom taught her many fun spells to play with spiders. But the last one had been the hardest to learn… "Avada Kedavra!" Katie squeaked for the fourth time, but the spider didn't react. "Uncle, why isn't it working?" She stomped impatiently._

"_You have to _really_ want to have fun, Katie…don't you hate spiders?" Here she nodded. "Don't you want them to stop moving? Forever?"_

_She rolled her eyes, as if this was an obvious question. "Of course! Who wouldn't?"_

"_Why don't you try it one more time, then?" He asked politely, but Katie could see his patience was growing thin. _

"_Alright…AVADA KEDAVRA!" This time the spider went limp, and it didn't get up again. Katie hugged her uncle in triumph. "I did it! Thanks, uncle! Now I like playing with spiders!"_

_There was that greedy glint again, that evil (now she could see it) smile playing about his face. "Good, Katie. Good…Would you like to go out for an ice cream, now?"_

…

The flashback faded, and Katie was back in the present, raising her wand. "_Avada Ke_-" Slowly, she shook her head. She wouldn't let it happen that easily, she wouldn't give in to Voldemort just yet. Remembering Fred and George, she turned to look at them, the red finally fading from her eyes.

They didn't say anything; just looked at her. Katie was ashamed at the fear she found in their eyes…_ 'They may be my friends, but they'll never fully understand me.'_ And who was she to blame them? She was Voldemort's bloody _niece_, for goodness sake.

"Ummm…I'm going to perform a Memory Charm on them, is that alright with you two?" Fred and George nodded dumbly. "…obliviate!"

The silent trio walked away from the scene, got on their broomsticks, and left.

_Ok, I know that was probably a weird ending- but it seemed appropriate, considering the rather extreme experiences they all just went through. Don't start hating Katie just yet…I just had to show you some of her bad side, her cowardly side. Honestly, if you had three voices inside your head all screaming at you at once, how you would respond? lol You're only as strong as your weakest point. And please don't comment on how you don't think Katie could have performed Unforgivable Curses when she was seven- I know it sounds illogical, but trust me- I HAVE AN EXPLANATION. It's just not revealed yet. And yes, I promise- next time you see Katie- It'll be different. But now- onto Harry, Ron and Hermione! Please review- leave any comments you want (apart from the whole unforgivable curse thing). Vanya sulie, melon nins!_

_**Note:** Also, it might take me a while to get the sixth chapter up, because I don't like posting a chapter until I finish the one to follow it- it's just a weird, 'me' thing, I guess. Not to mention that I started up another fanfic (Harry/Ginny- not posted yet), so that's taking up a bit of my time. And, for the seventh chapter, I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO INSPIRATION! (gasps!) I know what's going to happen, but it feels as though the writing-ness has been temporarily drained out of me. If you have ANY idea whatsoever of how to save me from my torment (the inescapable writer's block), then please share it with me A.S.A.P.! Once again, you guys ALL ROCK. Please feel free to review once more!_


	6. Of Rows and Run ins

**Unfortunate Relations**

_Author's Note: Ok. Bring in the fluff. Yep, it's finally here, and to tell you the truth, I'm just a little bit scared to show it to you guys! I've NEVER written fluff before- this is my first take. If it sucked (or vacuumed, lol) please don't burn me with fire-ball flames of doom- constructive criticism is appreciated as always, however. **Really Important: **Okay, there is a time-lapse in this chapter, after the first break several months have passed. You can now OFFICIALLY consider the story _post _HBP. Alright…enjoy!_

_**BregoBeauty: **Eight months! That's…jacked. I think I finally overcame the writer's block- though I'm sure it's lurking in the nearby shadows somewhere, waiting for its chance to once again suck the creative expression out of me…_

_**Knights of Ne: **THANKS for agreeing with me. That's not the only reasons, but they help strengthen my position. Thanks again- hope you like this chapter! Yeah, I like Space Mountain, too…but it's been closed for such a long time (since I've gone)! Argh! lol_

_**the-insufferable-know-it-all: **Good question, but I have a few reasons why not. 1) Katie put a memory charm on them, they won't remember anything. 2) After that incredibly strange situation, all three just want to walk away from it... 3) Katie needs to leave fast, and if she had turned them in, Voldemort would have gotten wind of it quicker than my original plan. But thanks for your question, and I hope you like this chapter!_

_**Irish Anor: **YES! GUSHING HAPPINESS! I'm really glad you liked it. Please bear with my sad attempt at fluff for this chapter…the next one'll be better, I promise._

Chapter Six: Of Rows and Run-ins

"Done." Katie stated simply as the trio walked out of the cove.

"Splendid job, Katie!" Fred and George both gave her a friendly thump on the back; Katie smiled shakily. "But who's this R.A.B.?"

This time Katie really did smile- though the grin was a sly one. She shook her head. "Not now."

"But- why R.A.B.? Why not just Katie?"

"It was a game we used to play- oh, never mind; you wouldn't get it, anyway. Only Tom would get it." She turned around to see the twins' confused faces, and laughed. "And that's exactly my point."

XXX

"Let's try this again."

"Uhhhggg…" Ron and Hermione groaned with equal amounts of disgust and boredom. The rain beat ceaselessly outside of their muggle-tent (a possession, Ron was sure, his father would kill for). And it did more than just pour on the outside; it dripped on the inside.

The smell of three damp people in a wet, stuffy tent is enough to make anyone temporarily insane. "Harry." Ron tried to reason with his best mate. "We've had _three_ false leads so far. Not just one. Not even two. THREE. And this one…is probably just like all the others." Hermione nodded her head fervently in agreement, even though Harry wasn't even facing them.

With a dramatic flourish, Harry turned around so he could see his two friends. It certainly wasn't one of his most handsome moments.

Hermione and Ron gave each other wary glances. '_He looks bad.'_ Their eyes read bluntly. And he _did_ look bad (in fact, bad was a bit of an understatement); his unruly black hair was even messier than usual, and his sharp green eyes bloodshot. "Are you suggesting that we just _give up?_" he whispered dangerously.

Ron snorted. "Oh, right." he muttered sarcastically. "Your best friends- you know, the ones who abandoned school and their _lives _for you?- want to admit defeat."

"Fine. Leave if you want. Do you really think it would make a difference?"

"Grow up, will you? That's not what we _want_ to do. All we're saying is maybe…oh, I dunno…PICK A MORE LOGICAL LEAD THIS TIME? I mean, it's not like you haven't _botched_ the last THREE or anything…"

Quite suddenly, the pitter-patter of the rain seemed to grow faint, almost as if the thick, ominous silence was stronger than sound. "Harry…? Ron…?" Hermione pleaded into the moment of tension, though even her voice sounded muffled. She looked from one boiling face to another, from clenched fists to gritted teeth to flashing eyes.

Ron gave a low growl and stomped out of the tent. He paused for a moment, appearing to consider a particularly scathing parting remark. Then he stuck his face back inside. He would have actually looked rather ridiculous if it had been any other time- his steaming face almost matched his flame-colored hair, now plaster oddly onto his forehead. As it was, however, Hermione did not think he looked amusing at all. In fact, he looked almost…frightening. It was an odd feeling, to be scared of Ron.

"That's right." He barked loudly, though this time his accusing was directed at Hermione, not Harry. "Just stay in the bloody tent! Comfort your _friend_- you obviously don't give a snit about me!"

"Ron…WAIT!" Hermione took a step towards the tent flap where Ron's head had just been.

"Yeah, why _don't_ you leave, Granger? I'll probably find the horcruxes better that way…without you two scrutinizing my every move…"

It took Hermione about a full ten seconds to realize it was Harry who had said those words. And when she did, she spun around, her shock written plainer and more evident that a hand mark left by a hard slap on the face. "_Granger?_" she whispered. That was Malfoy's- her _arch nemesis_'s- nickname for her, not her best friend's. Not Harry's.

Well worn and ragged, she felt like a rope in a tug-o-war, this time with he best friends at both ends. And this hadn't been the first fight she had gotten wrapped up in.

Hermione didn't know whether to cry or to sit down or to scream at Harry, so she did a little of all three- hot tears streamed down her face, and her breath came out in short, humiliated sobs.

_Well, you've gone and done it now, Harry…_ There. It had finally happened. After attempting insanely for months to keep it on, Harry's head had blown off in less than five minutes.

"Hermione…" Harry, who by now was fully aware of what he had just said and how awful it was, put a hand on her shaking shoulder- he hadn't really meant to hurt her…but all this searching and no finding was wearing everyone a little thin. "Hermione, I didn't- I didn't mean it, honest-"

She quickly tore away. "What happened to 'Granger?'" Hermione screeched broken, trying desperately to wipe away her shining tears as more fell to take their place. "I'M SO SICK OF THIS, HARRY! I JUST WANT- oh, _never mind!_"

"'Mione, wait!" But she was gone, her cries drowned out by the howling of the wind.

XXX

Hermione ran. She ran as fast and as far as she possibly could, not just to escape all the problems and complications and hurts in her life. She wanted to forget. Everything. Which, of course, is much harder than it sounds.

After only a few moments of running, she collapsed, not caring whether it was under a tree to escape the rain or not.

And that's where Ron found her.

"Hermione?" Ron asked quietly, his voice laced with disbelief. All this time, and Hermione had held up wonderfully. Ron was ashamed that he had never realized just how wonderfully until now.

He cautiously sat beside her, not knowing if she would yell at him or not. Most girls proved unpredictable, and Hermione was no exception. He knew that from _personal_ experience.

But all she did was turn away from him (which surprisingly hurt him more than her yelling). "Go away, Ron!" Hermione moaned half-heartedly. '_Stop crying.'_ she commanded herself fiercely. _'You can't, not in front of Ron!'_ Hermione tried biting her lip- an old habit that had always seemed to stem her tears in the past- but it didn't work; she only cried harder.

There was a long pause. _'Did he leave, I wonder?'_ she asked herself with a mixture of relief and sadness. Then a rough hand gripped hers; it was warm, despite the rain.

"Please don't cry, 'Mione." Ron murmured, near enough to Hermione for her to feel his hot breath in her ear.

Her heart skipped a beat when she felt how close he was to her… _'This would have been romantic, if you weren't such a crybaby.'_ she thought miserably, attempting to somehow push the resistant butterflies from her stomach. "Mmmphf." she mumbled aloud (half to herself) and softly tried to push him away.

Ron, however, had plans- none of which included him leaving. In all his years of knowing her, he had never seen Hermione cry like this. And it bothered him; much more than anyone else would be bothered by it- that at least he knew positively. "I'm not leaving till you stop crying." he announced softly. He meant it; Hermione could tell.

"But…I can't." She whispered between sobs. Then Ron did something that he hadn't anticipated, that he had never really planned (though he had imagined it happening often enough). Ron carefully tilted her chin up so he could see her eyes, now glistening with tears that ran down her cheeks to mingle with raindrops.

"Let me help you, then." Delicately cupping his hands to frame her face, he brushed away her tears with his thumbs.

Hermione closed her eyes; the butterflies were back. Why had she never felt this way with Krum? She didn't know. But at least, the tears were gone now.

The rain and Ron had taken care of that- and for the first time in a long time, Hermione was happy. Happy, safe, and warm. She would have laughed. She would have danced in the storm.

But she couldn't, because, right at that moment, something much more important had come up.

And Hermione Granger greatly preferred kissing Ronald Weasley to dancing in the rain any day.

XXX

The moon shone brightly, reflecting brilliantly in Harry's eyes. He and Ron had given up the luxury of the tent for Hermione's sake, and therefore had to brave the dismal weather without any covering; at least the rain had stopped.

Of course, everyone had shaken hands and made up (or, in the case of Ron and Hermione, _snogged _and made up) after the argument. Hermione had taken his apology incredibly well, considering the circumstances and the terrible things he'd said- but then again, she would have taken _anything_ well after Ron's 'apologies,' he thought fondly. _'Ron and 'Mione…'_ he mused. The pairing was so perfect that he almost wanted to laugh. Or maybe, clench his fists.

While he was happy for his friends, he couldn't help but feel a little jealous of them as well. Ron and Hermione had something that he couldn't afford, something he had given up months ago.

Something, for him, that came in the form of Ginny Weasley.

Harry missed Ginny desperately; even he couldn't deny the fact. And worse, he couldn't seem to get his mind off her, which wasn't allowed- how could he concentrate on destroying Voldemort if he couldn't stop thinking about a certain red-headed someone?

_"Harry." _he recalled Ron chiding him earlier that day. _"Let's face it. You need a girl, mate."_

But it was fine for Ron to say something like that. Simply _splendid._ For Harry, however, it was quite another matter. The Dark Lord didn't want Ron. He wanted Harry.

And that one tiny detail made an entire world- no, a vast universe- of difference. An abrupt snore from Ron quickly brought Harry back to reality. Turning his head away from the brilliant gem that lighted the entire sky in an ethereal halo, Harry closed his eyes. He willing let sleep take him where it willed.

Ginny would just have to wait.

XXX

A soft chuckle broke George's sly grin. He had just been having the most lovely dream…it was that familiar one, of hexing Umbridge and Percy into oblivion simultaneously…ah, if only! "Mmmm…what?" he murmured sleepily, turning to face Katie, who had her back against a tree.

"It's just that…it's kind of funny, I guess…kind of sad- how long it's been since I've had a normal life." Her eyes reflected stars as her head tilted skywards. It was strange to look into those dark eyes, George thought groggily, everything seemed so…dark. And grey. Katie blinked, startling George out of his reverie. "And then I think, 'Have I _ever_ had a normal life? Or was it all just an illusion?'" Katie's clear voice cut through the cool stillness sharper than any knife.

"Ah, Katie. Didn't you know that it's a customary part of everyone's life to go out on dangerous escapades, all in the name of saving the world?" he joked good-naturedly. "Anyway- is that all you woke me up for? Because if so, it really wasn't worth my time. Goodnight, again." George turned around once more; Katie snorted.

"Not my fault you're a light sleeper." she muttered, desperately squirming to resettle herself against the gnarled back of a tree. But it wasn't uncomfortable sleeping conditions that kept her awake. "George…?" she called tentatively into the silvery darkness.

"Wazat!" He quickly bolted upright, cursing as his head knocked against an overhanging branch. "Katie," he groaned, "We've been _through_ this-" George stopped when he saw the strange look on her face.

Though Katie's shining black hair had blown over her features, her friend could still see the look of consternation, the glistening eyes that lay behind it. "I- I watched him _die_, George." She didn't say _who_; she didn't need to. For George it was hard _not_ to know who she was referring to. "I saw his face- heard the Death Eaters' laughter…but what's worse- worse than even doing nothing- is that…part of me wanted to hurt him, too…"

Her voice didn't ring out so clearly anymore; it barely reached George's ears in more than a whisper. He knew he had to mask the fear that wanted so badly to surface (_How can I feel afraid of a _friend?), because her grey eyes were madly piercing his own, searching for some answer other than terror and reproof.

"You know no one blames you- how could we? Who knows- Fred and I might very well have done the same thing- you were in s_hock,_ Ka-"

"But would you have wanted to kill him?"

This time, George could not hide the fear that shone behind his own eyes. "No." he said flatly, and he couldn't help but for a tone of accusation to creep into his voice.

His friend inclined her head in a slow nod, but soon gave up all appearances of formality and buried her head in her hands. Silently, Katie's slender frame shook- and it was George's turn to feel guilty.

In a moment he was beside her, firmly grasping her shoulders.

"How- how can you even be my friend?" she whispered, "I'm no better than Voldemort-"

"_Yes you are._" George murmured so fiercely in her ear that she jumped. "You may have _felt _as though you wanted to kill that man, Katie, _but you didn't._ And that's what separates you from your uncle: despite what you think, you _are_ brave- brave enough to, even past all hopes, try and stop whatever evil you're a part of."

Katie's eyes were wide as she looked up at him, and her voice was small, still shocked at his initial sternness. "Oh." she muttered, taking his hands off of her shoulders and holding them in her own. "I guess I'd forgotten that."

"Well, try not to." George muttered softly in response, a small grin flickering on his face again. For a second he could only gaze down at her, still wondering at how lovely the stars looked in her own eyes…

But all at once, the two became quite awkward. "Well." They both said at once, dropping the other's hands as if they had become hot bricks.

"Goodnight, Katie."

"Goodnight, George."

Neither noticed Fred's beaming smile and barely open, prying eye glinting mischievously in the tell-tale moonlight. Katie watched as George closed his own eyelids and, in a matter of minutes, fell asleep.

Katie tried to do the same, but each time she tried her eyes snapped right back open.

Voldemort plagued her thoughts…lurked in the darkest corners of her mind- and every time her eyelids grew heavy, she was reminded of never-ending nightmares…

_'You will turn, Katie. Eventually, you'll be here, at my right side. Where you belong.'_ She cringed at those chilling words. Those _true_ words. Even George's reminder had faded from her mind now; she couldn't even tell the difference from her uncle's voice and the voice of her innermost thoughts anymore…It was awful. Katie knew he was waiting- lurking- until that moment when she was gently lulled to sleep by the whisper of the wind and the creaking of the trees. It all seemed so innocent. But behind that thin veil of beauty, a snake lay- waiting to strike. She couldn't fight it forever.

"I mustn't sleep, I mustn't sleep, I mustn't…sleep…I…mustn't…"

So with a sigh, Katie reluctantly gave herself to the night and whatever horrors or wonders it chose to present.

XXX

Memories flooded Katie's dreamless sleep—memories that, if she had been awake, wouldn't have been hers. Her head spun with the effort of keeping up with the images flashing through her mind.

It was almost as if she were passing all recollections of the world, and could have looked into anyone's if she had had the power. Instead, she closed her eyes- darkness was better than blurry images. With a jolt Katie was brought to a painful halt- she could have sworn she heard her neck cracking and feel her palms slap the cold floor; blood dripped from her nose, sopping her jeans.

If you have ever hit the ground hard and simultaneously broken your nose, you will know what the exclamation Katie made sounded like. I can't describe it- it was a mix between 'ugh!' and 'ouch!'.

Two people had been arguing near Katie's now throbbing head, and sharply looked around when they heard the strange noise. _'That's a bit odd…'_ Katie thought excitedly, _'They can hear me, but they can't see me.'_ She had never been in a dream where she lay hidden to its occupants- and it was…cool.

_"Anyway…" a small girl shook blond curls out of a rosy face after a last look around, "Could you please give it back, Tom? I need it for an…assignment."_

_Katie had to bite back a gasp as she looked straight into the face of none other than her uncle…but in the dream, he looked somewhere around her age._

_He grinned slyly. "An…assignment? Oh, I think we both know it's much more than that… 'Oh, if only my English teacher weren't such a toad!'" Tom flipped idly through the book's pages; it was clearly a diary of some sort._

_The girl, his younger by only a few years, reached hopelessly for it with a fierce look on her face. "GIVE IT BACK, TOM!" _

_"'Isn't it odd, diary?' " Tom read mockingly, his grin widening as he mimicker her in a high pitched voice, "'I think I'm in love with Seth…'" He laughed coldly and nonchalantly sat on his bed, criss-crossing his legs, promptly holding the journal above his dark, curly-haired head. "Come, come now, Lucy…I knew you were a desperate girl…but Seth? I mean, really…"_

_Lucy tapped her toe impatiently on the painfully clean and swept wooden floor. She looked angry and flustered, but, to a pair of shrewd eyes (which both Katie and her uncle possessed) it was easy to see small tears forming at the corners of each eye and her lips curving into an unhappy frown. "Please give it back." was all she could force out without crying._

_"Why not me?" Tom purred. To Katie, it seemed as though her uncle were a cat, toying with its latest victim. He stood up and sauntered lazily over to a cupboard. 'This is one story he failed to tell me when I was little…' and she knew it was only one of many he had conveniently left out of his childhood escapades._

_"You know I'd make a better boyfriend than Seth…I'm much better-looking. And you're…not so bad yourself." the teenager smirked. 'How conceited.' Katie thought. It wasn't just what he had said; it was what he was doing- looking in a mirror, of course. He turned to look at Lucy, as if admiring her features._

_But, to Katie, it was obvious that it was all just some horrible game to Tom; he had never- could never- love…only pretend to. _

_Lucy involuntarily blushed (no one can really blame her- Tom had a way with words, with making people believe in him…) but the blush quickly turned to flaming red cheeks. With an ashamed "Oh!" and a look as though she might slap him, Lucy turned and walked quickly from the room._

_Tom smirked again and reached for the knob of his cabinet. Katie, who by now was incredibly intrigued with where the dream was going and why it was more like a memory than anything else, leaned forward to take a closer look._

_Inside the cabinet was a motley collection of this and this (quite literally: a marble set, several other diary-like books, old faded photos of others' loved ones, and lots more). With much flourish, Tom ceremoniously set the book beside the others, but not before reading a few more pages. He laughed-harshly and loudly so that Lucy would hear- then finally put the journal down and closed the door._

_As Katie leaned forward even more, intensely curious with what might happen next, she slipped on something sticky and hit the ground again. Katie cursed as she straightened herself- and suddenly became still when she noticed Tom looking right at her. 'It's alright…he can't see me…' But he could; or at least see some shadow flickering elusively on the floor. Katie groaned-_

_She had slipped in her own blood. _

"_What in the-" He took a wary step forward, and his eyes widened in angry surprise. "SPYING ON MY MEMORIES, YOU-"_

"Katie!"

_"YOU WILL PAY! I WILL FIND YOU-"_

"Katie? Katie! BLOODY HELL, KATIE- WAKE UP!"

XXX

_(dun dun dun!)Wow- there was a lot of stuff in that chapter…hmm. Please- I'd _really love_ to hear your comments on this one- just to let you guys know- that flashback was really fun! Anywho...in this chapter, two lines from songs (accidentally, not on purpose) were used. See if you can find them just for the heck of it. (Hint: one's near the beginning, one's when Katie's talking to George, and they're both spoken by Katie). Bye, guys! I just want to apologize in advance or any typos or otherwise crappy writing._


	7. Breaking the Silence

**Unfortunate Relations**

_Author's Note: Yo. I'm back. Please try your very best to restrain yourself from killing me. Umm…so I'm sure you all hate me by now…but at least I'm back! I seriously am SO SORRY that it took me so long to update…I have a plan now, though- so don't worry. Part of the reason why (the rest is due to laziness) is because my retarded computer erased (yes, you have that right. ERASED) chapter seven and eight (seven and eight were originally one chapter). DON'T HATE MEEEE! You know, I had originally intended for these two chapters to be SERIOUS. Seriously. But…they turned out rather comic. So- enjoy._

Chapter Seven: Breaking the Silence

Far away- or maybe it just seemed far away- the sun shone. Birds sang, people chattered happily to one another, bright trees glistened in the light. But there was definitely a cloud hanging over the vacant lot, and there was rain, thunder- the whole package that makes one rainy day (A/N: just mix, and stir! lol)

Maybe this was what the sign meant by '_Keep out! Violators will be prosecuted.'_ Of course, though it seemed like it, the strip of land was much more than just an empty lot. With the help of Harry's knowledge of its location, Ron's sarcastic remarks, and finally (brought on by Ron's sarcasm and the annoyance of the pounding rain drops) a revealing spell from Hermione, they had reached their destination at last.

There was just one problem: all entrances were sealed shut. Oh, and did I mention it was raining?

"My, what cheery weather! Shall we have a picnic, then?" a bitter teenager voiced his opinions, his lanky legs thrown dejectedly on a porch step.

"Oh, cut the sarcasm for once, Ron." Hermione snapped. "But I do like the lunch idea." she admitted sheepishly.

Then- despite all their rotten luck- Harry laughed; that was the great thing about his friends. They always managed to make him laugh- no matter how bad the situation. "Yeah. Lunch sounds good."

XXXXXXXXXX

Katie's eyes snapped open, looking straight into the concerned faces of Fred and George. She was scared to close her eyes again- but at the same time afraid to keep them open, after a long nightmare that hopefully meant nothing, she didn't want to have to relive it, making it all the more real in moonlight shadows.

"Are you…alright, Katie?" George asked slowly, the worry never leaving his edgy features.

"No- I mean, yes of course! Why wouldn't I be?" her thoughts muddled around in her head as she tried to grasp the meaning of her dream…or flashback…or whatever it had been. But she didn't need to burden the twins with a dream that probably (she hoped) didn't have any significance.

"Anyways…what's wrong with youtwo? You're gaping like monkeys." Katie giggled nervously, trying her very best to peer up at them with innocent eyes.

"What's wrong with _you_, don't you mean?" Even though the rain had long since passed, thunder rumbled in the distance, making the setting just a little more ominous than before- even though the rain had long since past.

Katie snorted. "You gits, what are you talking a-" she stopped as blood dripped from her nose to the ground. "Oh, no…"

"Were you having a wrestling match in you sleep or something?" Fred and George both laughed uneasily, seeing the unhappy look on her face.

"No." She looked around for the first time since she had woken- and was surprised to find the sun barely tipping the horizon to chase the stars, and light Katie's flushed cheeks. She smiled as the glint seemed to set the twins' hair aflame while at the same time highlighting warm eyes and freckles.

Katie would have been very much content to remain in this moment forever- the time when day and night met for a brief instant and any trouble slipped away in the glory of gold and silver.

But it only lasted a brief instant; and Katie knew she must break the silence- she had stopped being a coward days ago. She couldn't hide in simple, beautiful moments anyways, even if she _had_ wanted to.

"No." she slowly repeated. "But I did have a weird dream…" It took Katie only a few minutes to recount her story to them.

At first, they looked confused- freckled faces wrinkling in bewilderment. Then, as slowly as the sunrise had crept from behind the hills, grins dawned on both their faces.

"Well, what ARE we waiting for?"

"Let's get to it."

Katie's excited grin matched their own, but once again she was just hiding behind a mask. '_Onto the next one.' _ She thought, though it was a dismal realization. A crawling sense of foreboding had risen within her- this time, she could guess, wouldn't be so easy as the last.

She knew her uncle only too well.

XXX

"Can we _please_ go now?" Hermione pleaded, he shoes squelching soggily in the rain. Harry knew she was right- she had to be; Hermione was the only one out of the three of them who could have figured out how to get in, and even _she _had failed.

But still, it was frustrating, knowing you were _this close_ to a horcrux but still that far away.

Slowly, reluctantly, Harry stood up from the creaky, rotting porch and nodded to his companions. "Let's go." He muttered.

Hermione willing thrust herself forward, glad to leave the place. But Ron didn't budge, he simply sat, gaping intently at something to his right.

Not reading his expression, Hermione rolled her eyes and tapped her foot impatiently. "_Honestly, _Ron- we've tried everything. What's _sitting there_ going to get us?" She turned to Harry, hoping that maybe he could reason with Ron- but, by now, he too was staring incredulous…

Finally, Hermione reluctantly followed both their gazes. Her mouth dropped open in disbelief. After a moment of surprised silence, the trio erupted in noisy exclamations.

"Fred? George?"

"What're my brothers doing here?"

"What're your brothers doing here?"

Sure enough, three figures were walking directly toward them (no one paid much attention to the third person, she rather blended in with the grey surroundings), and two flaming heads were easily distinguishable despite the blurring of the constant drizzle.

Though they looked a bit confused…probably because the visibility spell Hermione had used only applied to Harry, Ron and herself.

Ron, grateful to see any familiar face, leaped up to run towards them. "Hey, Fr-"

"_Ron!_" Hermione hissed as Harry quickly yanked him back down.

"What? They _are_ my brothers, after all."

"_Are_ they?"

Ron looked from Harry to Hermione's grave expressions in bewilderment. Then, realizing at last what they had meant by it, he burst out laughing. "Oh, right!" He exclaimed loudly between chuckles. "One of Voldemort's favorite disguises is- is- FRED AND GEORGE! Ha ha ha! Oh, ha-"

"SHUT IT, RON!" Both his friends whispered fiercely. Hermione tried a new attempt, desperately covering his mouth with her hands.

Harry shakily drew his wand as the figures got closer. He certainly hoped it was Fred and George approaching, but what could possibly bring them here?

'_Well,' _he thought grimly, _'looks like we're going to find out.'_

_So, what'd ya think? PLEASE review- don't forget me just because I'm lame and haven't posted in a while. I'll try to update more often…_


	8. Let the Games Begin

**Unfortunate Relations**

_Author's Note: Wow- brace yourselves, this chapter's rather long. Sorry about that, but there was really no other way to do it. Like I said, I really had intended for this chapter to be dark and angsty, but I guess I just didn't have it in me this time. Ah well, angsty or not- I had loads of fun writing the chapter. And believe me when I say LOADS. Anywho, thanks to everyone who reviewed- it's so awesome to know that you guys are still sticking with this story, no matter how retardedly long it takes me to update. A sincere thanks to all! Okay, time for me to shut up. Enjoy the chapter!_

Chapter Eight: Let the Games Begin

Katie sucked in air as soon as she squeezed through whatever you squeeze through during Apparating, but not just because she needed a breath. Warmth from the space-traveling void was instantly replaced with a bone-chilling, mind-numbing cold. Rain pelted Katie, coldly oblivious to the bitter symbol it served to her feelings…and her luck. _Drat _her luck.

"Thanks for the lift, George." she joked, giving his hand the smallest of squeezes before letting go.

"Anytime. What's with you not being able to Apparate, anyway?"

Katie shrugged. "Guess it's just not my thing." Fred soon joined them, and Katie gave him a sympathizing smile as he first winced, then shivered in the icy weather.

They finally took a look around and- if it was at all possible- grew even more silent; the place was deserted. Only mud and puddles lay scattered about the deserted lot they had had the misfortune of landing in.

George blankly allowed the smashing entrance of opening comment, "What are we doing here?" Needless to say, no one answered. No one knew the answer.

There was no orphanage. There was mud, and puddles, and more mud- but no orphanage. "Come on." Katie said grimly (A/N: there are a lot of 'grimly's' in this chapter, aren't there?) and resolutely put one foot in front of the other. All three looked down at their feet; it seemed less depressing that way.

Fred finally nudged George to elaborate on his previous statement. "Uh…Katie?" he prodded tentatively, "In case you haven't noticed, there's no place to 'come on' _to._ And I'm sure Voldemort would never just drop off a horcrux in an empty lot somewhere."

An emotionless laugh emitted from Katie, picked up and magnified by the wind. "You don't know him like I do." And so they continued, all three (though Katie wouldn't admit it) incredibly bewildered. The rain struck at them harder, pounding so loud in Katie's ears that it took only a matter of minutes for her head to start throbbing.

After about five minutes of silent and grumpy searching, Fred, George, and Katie turned back around- half hoping to see some kind of magical lever reading something like this: _Pull here to reveal secret entrance to orphanage! Courtesy of Voldemort Inc., ect. _Ha, ha.

But not only was there no such thing, turning around had been a wrong move: Katie's skin prickled as something hard suddenly jabbed the back of her neck.

A smooth voice that she instantly recognized and instantly hated whispered dangerously at her left ear, "Don't move."

Katie, infected by her strange new hatred for this boy that held her at his mercy, and an initial rebelliousness at his tone, turned her neck just slightly enough to see him.

Neither moved; the girl's pitiless grey eyes shocked the boy, whose intricately jade orbs also stopped Katie from any further action. Katie recovered first, though- green eyes couldn't stop her. She expertly whirled around while simultaneously knocking the wand out of his hands.

Cursing, the green-eyed boy bent to retrieve it, but was slowly brought back to his feet when Katie placed her own wand at his throat.

It was weird, almost as if the two were in a death circle- nothing was wrong with the others- in fact, by now they had established that all were friends and were chatting amiably, oblivious to the electric current of hazardous dislike- deflecting even the drowning rain- that emanated from the two strangers.

"Really." The boy, shaking his already hopelessly tangled black mane defiantly, "What're you gonna do?"

After all, this girl before him was small, frail, even…what was she against him? She couldn't have possibly been through as much as he.

The exact same thing had been running through Katie's head. "Oh," she began mildly, boring into him with those wild grey eyes of hers, as she was momentarily perplexed by his startling green ones. "There are a lot of things I could do to you. And," here she grinned, "believe me when I say _a lot._"

Suddenly, to Harry, she seemed a lot taller.

"Hey, Katie!" Fred called from somewhere out of their own battle circle. "What on _earth_ are you doing?"

"Yeah, put that thing down! These people are our friends!"

She took a while, but finally- reluctantly- lowered her wand.

"Name's Harry." The boy muttered gruffly, offering a dripping hand from his soaking pocket.

Katie grudgingly took it. "Katie. It's…nice to meet you." she replied through gritted teeth while both tried to force a grin (it turned out looking more like a grimace).

Harry looked down, not wanting to meet her eyes again, and saw something…strange, to say the least. It looked like some kind of tattoo on her wrist, almost like a-

But she pulled her hand away too soon for him to tell, and her wrist was completely by the dark folds of her robe. Ron and Hermione also shook hands with Katie (Katie using the other hand, Harry noticed) and there followed a good deal of 'nice to meet you's' and 'how do you do's' before Hermione could once again speak the charm to reveal the house to everyone.

For a moment, all six just stared in a reverent kind of awe at the foreboding structure- after all, the building loomed very imposingly despite the weathering of many years, perhaps _because _of it.

The orphanage hung monstrously tall, grey and not quite silent over the heads of six pitifully tiny figures; it moaned and sighed at every wind's breath, as if asking but never receiving an end to its cruelly extended life. But, though it leaned a little their way, the dilapidated edifice held well enough.

"So…old house."

"Horcrux hidden inside…" Fred and George looked questioningly at Harry, Ron and Hermione.

And Katie finished their thoughts. "What's the catch?"

"There's no way in." Harry uncharacteristically smirked at Katie while Hermione and Ron gave each other confused looks; he was beginning to act more like Malfoy that himself.

He dared her- this newcomer, probably just a tag-along of Fred and George- to figure it out. He dared her to open the door…but, surprisingly, Katie ignored his cheeky implication and unspoken dare.

Everyone stared at her as she muttered to herself, thoroughly scrutinizing the orphanage- its weaknesses (it had many), its strengths (there were few), and its openings.

"Knowing him…you can't get in from the front- it'll probably be some dark, dangerous way…like the basement." she laughed to herself, but the expression on her face soon turned defensive when she saw everyone's bewildered stares.

"How- how would you even _know_?" Harry managed to splutter as his brain raced for an answer to his own question.

Katie remained silent; giving her name away to someone who already hated her was the last thing she wanted to do. But, strangely enough, Katie knew that she owed something to these strangers: something like the truth. Wouldn't they be working together to destroy Voldemort?

"Yeah…about that…" George fumbled for an excuse, but Katie put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

Her eyes swept over the other three, regarding them carefully, asking them to accept her. "You would have found out anyway." she began resignedly. "I'm…my full name is…Katie Riddle."

At first, no one got it. "There're lots of Riddles." Hermione said matter-of-factly. Ron nodded, Harry just raised an eyebrow. A shadow of doubt seemed to cloud each face; it was the kind of look that someone gets when they find out that a seemingly innocent acquaintance is guilty of murder.

"There may be a lot, but you only know one."

Katie tried to add something, maybe a remark that could possibly make her look a little more heroic, but no more words seemed to want to come out.

"Oh- are you idiots that _thick?_ She's Voldemort's niece." Fred bluntly filled in the deathly stillness and open mouths with the obvious statement. Katie winced.

"But don't worry! She's not all bad- jus destroyed a horcrux, in fact."

That didn't help Harry, or Ron, or Hermione. Dropped jaws turned to hard and untrusting stares, and each body went stiff with tension.

"Bloody h-"

"Shhh, Ron!" Hermione shot Ron a warning glance and grabbed his hand. '_Don't. You'll just make her angry.'_ the look seemed to say.

Well, that was worse than any exclamation. Katie might as well have been some dangerous mongrel in a zoo, peered at through thick steel bars by prying and fearful eyes.

None of this, however, compared to Harry's reaction; one look at him and Katie's blood froze. She was suddenly much colder than any rain could make her. "_Destroyed a horcrux?_" he whispered in poisoned disbelief (Katie could tell was the kind that whispered when particularly dangerous). "Which one?"

"Oh, the- locket…_what?_" Fred muttered the last question under his breath when he noticed Katie's warning expression. She slowly shook her head. It was too late to do anything, but telling Harry which horcrux they'd destroyed had been a bad idea.

The taut anger in his stance intensified as his fists and mouth line tightened. Harry didn't know it, but right then he looked very akin to Uncle Vernon.

Katie almost smirked. She had never so intensely rubbed someone the wrong way before, and it was kind of…amusing. At the same time, though, the spluttering teenager storming back and forth in front of her was driving Katie past the point of insanity as well.

"So it was your fault." Harry whispered simply, and Katie twisted her brows in sudden confusion. She saw not only hatred in his face, but pain, also…

Everyone was holding their breath (quite literally) – eyes fixed on Harry, anticipating possibly explosion.

But, oddly enough, he didn't explode; Harry, for the first time in a long time, simply spoke. And- though his face was still very red- Ron and Hermione both though it a nice change. "We. need. to. talk." He hissed through gritted teeth.

So all at once, five shapes shuffled silently forward, leaving one to slump dejectedly in the storm.

XXX

Many contradicting thoughts were slipping in and out of Katie's mind- but she was used to that.

What she wasn't used to was this total feeling of loneliness and rejection, and the new biting hatred that made her more ravenous wolf that human. Maybe it was better that they let Katie alone for a while- it seemed very likely that right then she would have liked very much to snap someone's (particularly Harry's) head off.

XXX

The other five were huddled some distance from the wolf- I mean, Katie- and their argumentative whispers were easily covered by heavy atmosphere and the wind's dull moaning.

They all gathered in proper football formation (A/N: for all you muggles out there, ha ha) and, for several minutes, stayed in appreciative silence- except, of course, for the occasion sneeze and the rain- which, despite that anything and anyone with reach of the downpour's wrath had been soaked quite literally to the bone, continued to furiously drench and puddle the area.

There was a huffy breath as everyone waited for Harry to stop steaming.

"Now, Harry." George condescendingly began, clearly seeing that he wasn't going to settle. "What's this all about?"

Harry couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Oh, _you_ know. _Her_, of course." He had meant to simply flick his head in her general direction, but his eyes caught in mid turn. She looked so…alone. And as usual it was all Harry's fault.

And, as he unconsciously stared, Harry actually began to change his mind about her; she sat cross-legged, with her head down, and her black hair hanging limply around her head. In the rain, her white skin almost glowed a translucent white. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all?

But the girl's neck immediately snapped up straight (almost sensing the intrusion) and her grey orbs found his green ones, glinting with a hatred he had only ever seen in one other person…

No, she was most definitely Voldemort's niece.

Harry tore his gaze away from Katie, finding it difficult to break eye-contact. "Anyway," he continued impatiently, "She can't stay."

"What!"

"I say, Harry-"

"I think I'm with Harry on this one, but let's hear both sides of the argument first." Hermione's level voice cut in smoothly.

Only Ron hadn't said anything; both Harry and the twins were playing a mental tug-o-war, fighting with each other to make Ron choose a side. "I'm with Hermione." he mumbled after a rather large sneeze. Hermione beamed.

"Fine. Let's hear it. Fred. George."

"Aren't we proof enough?"

"Yeah, I mean- she hasn't killed us, has she?" George folded his arms triumphantly while Fred continued staring pointedly at Ron, his eyes holding a dangerous glint that promised future torture if he didn't agree to his twin brothers.

Ron shivered. There were only too many reminders of what the twins could do to him, and Fred and George were only too happy to give him yet another happy memory.

"Nonsense! What about the Imperius Curse? How do we know you're not under it?" Harry asked as he gave George a suspicious prod.

"Watch it, Harry! We're quite ourselves…except a bit on the crabby side- and you're not helping!"

Hermione sighed, her breath coming out in short little mists and quickly vanishing as rain washed away the imprints. She moodily surveyed Harry and George, who by now had their wands out and were circling each other menacingly. Her eyes swept over to Fred (now taking threatening steps towards a cowering Ron). Once again, the time had come for intervention. _Her _intervention, to be more specific.

"Harry! George! I need you to focus." They both tucked their wands back into the folds of their robes and jumped simultaneously as Hermione barked out her orders. "Ron! Fred! I need _you_ to grow up."

Fred turned his head to look at Hermione with sulking, lazy eyes. He mumbled something about 'unfair,' but at least he sauntered back to the group.

"But _mother_," he whined playfully, "I don't _wanna _grow up."

Unfortunately for Fred, Hermione was _not _in a joking mood. In an instant, she had whipped out her wand, and a pink-and-orange polka-dotted beard was rapidly forming at Fred's chin, finally stopping a little past his ankles.

His cheeks flushed a bright crimson as he opened and closed his mouth repeatedly in silent shock. Desperately, he tried to put a reversal charm on his overly excessive facial hair, but it didn't seem to have any effect, except of course, to make the colors even flashier.

George, meanwhile, had been rolling on the muddy lawn (oblivious to the fact that by now, he probably looked worse than Fred), cackling maniacally and flinging his arms wildly into the air.

The bushy haired, bright-eyed wielder of Fred's unexpected torment stood before him, putting a hand on her hip and clicking her tongue disapprovingly.

"Strange." she pondered loudly. Hermione, Fred noticed, was very good at feigning concern, that is, until the wicked grin stole over her features. "Strange…I guess you're right, Fred. I give you a whole six-foot beard, and you still manage to look like a slightly deranged four year old."

A short pause ensued (not counting George's incessant guffawing and mud-flinging) – and even the rain could not wash the look of hideous embarrassment from Fred's face. He was used to _being_ the prankster, not the other way round.

"SHE JUST- AND THEN HE- OH, HA HA- I CAN'T BEL- OH, HA HA HA!" With George laughing like an idiotic lunatic- and making himself look more the fool that Fred ever could, even if he had tried, it became exceedingly difficult not to laugh.

Though Harry was managing it quite nicely- if only it weren't for his red face and oddly contorting features…

"Absolutely _brilliant,_ Hermione!" Ron congratulated her, giving his _friend_ a quick approving hug. He immediately broke away from her, however, after seeing Fred's murderous death glare directed at him. Um- I mean…hard luck, mate." Ron switched from hugging Hermione to sympathetically patting his brother on the back.

Fred grunted, looking for all the world like a cat that has been dropped into the bathtub and then laughed at. "Why, if you weren't a girl, I'd-"

"You'd what? Hex me into oblivion?" Hermione chuckled, though not unkindly. "Come off it Fred, just a joke. How's it feel to be at the other end of the rope?"

"Bloody horrible." he mumbled miserably.

"Come on." She tugged at his hand to come back to the circle, "Friends?"

"If my blasted brother wasn't madly in love with you…" He looked up as he shuffled forward, and his face gradually returned to its normally wicked vigor on seeing his former blush mirrored in Ron's cheeks.

"…Friends."

XXX

Katie watched George's crazy antics from a distance, and she couldn't help but laugh, despite the fact she was trying desperately to stay angry at the world. Somehow, George made everything- even the worst possible situations- seem a little lighter. So did Fred, but George was…different, somehow. Katie thought it funny that, though they were twins and seemed identical not only in looks, but in actions (at first acquaintance), the twins each had their own separate personality.

Katie didn't notice the group turning and gesturing to her, or the friendly, accepting nods that were thrown in her general direction, her thoughts had taken over her so completely. And she didn't notice when Harry crept up behind her and cleared his throat.

"…Katie."

"Hmm? Oh, sorry, I didn't- oh. It's you." The smile that complimented her pleasant features was quickly replaced with that all-too familiar scowl. Harry found himself wishing that for once it wouldn't be him she directed her hatred towards. Her smile was actually quite nice- if only Harry had the chance to get used to it. Not as though he really wanted to or anything.

"You can…stay." Harry said, trying his very best to keep his voice civil.

"With all due respect, _your majesty_, I didn't know I needed your permission." Katie brushed past him in a queenly manner, and found herself face to face with George.

"Thanks." she murmured, throwing her arms around him- mud and all- in a quick embrace. George smiled hazily, mumbling something inaudible in reply.

_'Oh, sure.' _Harry grumbled inwardly, _'Thank _George._ But does _Harry_ get any appreciation?'_

_'…Does Harry _deserve_ any appreciation?'_ a small voice answered. He quickly put the thought aside, though…after all, he didn't like that answer.

Katie nodded towards Ron and Hermione over George's shoulder, flashing them a brilliant grin. "You too. Thanks…a lot."

They both smiled back, Hermione's smile the brightest. It wasn't as though she didn't love Harry and Ron dearly, but- she was just a little tired of dealing with thick-headed boys. This would definitely be a nice change.

"Hey- what about me?" Fred whined. A small giggle escaped Katie's lips before she could stop herself. Who could blame her? Fred looked absolutely ridiculous- the stupid way he held his beard so he wouldn't trip over it made him look so hilarious it was appalling.

Katie took her arms from George and faced Fred solemnly,

"Nice beard."

XXX

_So…what'd ya think? How'd you like the friction between Katie and Harry? Please review- I look forward to everyone's comments! _

_**BregoBeauty: **Update your story, you fiend! Or I shall have to smight you with my…twin knives? I dunno. Something cool. Thanks so much for reviewing!_

_**Gylfie: **YES! Your rant makes me HAPPY! (Does it disturb you that the image of Scott banging his head repeatedly against a wall makes me laugh? No? I didn't think so.) LOL. Anywho…thanks._

_**audreyblaine:** Dude, your incomplete sentences ROCK. Thanks for reviewing! Oh- and I'm flattered that you like it even though it isn't Lily/James (those are usually my favorite stories, too)._

**_elven-jewel-18:_ **_My character's three dimensional? SWEET! LOL- I'm really glad you like it! I hope I continue updating soon. _

_**Irish Anor: **Hello! Ah, the golden trio. Yes. They're cool. But the twins're cooler- at least in my opinion. I really hoped you like this chapter!_

_**Lily: **THANK YOU!_


	9. Which Cuts Deepest?

**Unfortunate Relations**

_Author's Note: No matter how silly the last two chapters were, you must get that out of your head before reading this. This one won't be so light. I'm not saying it's incredibly dark, but it _is_ serious. Also, I apologize in advance for all the 'verbs of being' I have in this chapter- but it needed them. It produces a sort of flatness that the chapter requires for the effect I wanted. Let me know if I did a good job expressing it or not. Before you begin, consider this quote. It has a lot to do with the chapter. **"If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn't part of ourselves doesn't disturb us." –Hermann Hesse**_

_to the anonymous **Kristen: **You're right…the thing is, I'm playing on the fact that Katie's Voldemort's niece, and also something else. The reason she attacked him is because he was attacking her ('member how Harry was suspicious)- she was just trying to protect herself. Thanks so much for the review- I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

Chapter Nine: Which Cuts Deepest?

Harry stared blankly into the swirling mist that curled ominously around his fast-numbing feet.

He hated her. There was no doubt or question in his mind- and not any room for a change of friendship or second thoughts. It wasn't just her attitude- her idiotic and maddening way of making him want to scream incomprehensibly and tackle her- no, that wasn't the half of it. Not even close.

And it also wasn't the fact that she was Lord Voldemort's niece, or that risk that on any moonless night when they all slept she would kill them. Though those things certainly helped.

But it most _definitely _had _nothing _to do with her stupid, unnerving smile- or her grey eyes. Nothing at all. Nor that she had so many things in common with him- for some idiotic reason, they just _had_ to be similar. Ugh.

No, none of that even came close to the reason why he had issued his final ultimatum of hatred on her.

Katie- indirectly, at the very least- had been the cause of Dumbledore's death. _That_ was the real reason- the only one that mattered, anyway. Even now, Harry couldn't get the shock to register in his mind. Dumbledore? Dead? Sorry, you must have the names mixed up or something. Not Dumbledore. Not the most famous wizard besides Lord Voldemort- in fact, the one who had held Voldemort at bay for so long.

Ironically, though, it worked out. Voldemort's stupid niece, killer of the great Dumbledore, demise of all of Harry's real hope. It hurt so much to know that the headmaster's near-enough murderer slept a mere fifty yards away.

Maybe deep down he knew it wasn't her fault. But that was deep, deep down. Besides, if she hadn't destroyed the locket, Dumbledore's death wouldn't have been for nothing.

Harry, finally giving up all pretenses of togetherness, allowed the tears to slowly fall down his face to join the fast-growing mist. He couldn't help it- Harry cried until it hurt. He cried until the wetness on his cheeks felt as though it had all but frozen.

He was tired of pretending he would be alright.

XXX

Katie was tired of pretending she would be alright.

She was also tired of being confused. She hated him- that remained the only clear thing in her head. _Why _she hated him, that she couldn't quite figure.

The only solution she could find was that she had inherited it from her uncle- but that didn't make sense. You didn't _inherit_ hatred. It wasn't a _trait_.

A new wave of emptiness washed over her like some fast-spreading poison, creating a twisted sort of harmony to the foggy damp enveloping her.

With a deeply painful sigh, Katie stood. Maybe a walk could cure what her empty thoughts could not.

Or maybe a walk would just help her run away from them.

Whatever the reason, Katie softly stood to slink away into the melting mist.

XXX

Harry leaned a little further into the wood, wincing as it released a long, sighing creak.

He couldn't shake the feeling that, right now, he was quite possibly one of the stupidest wizards on the planet. What was he doing, sitting on the back porch, anyway? What was he trying to prove? Even _he_ didn't know, which was a sure sign that nobody else would.

Tonight seemed to just be one of those nights- the ones that always went downhill from hell (A/N: And I bet you didn't even think it was possible to go below hell, did you?)- and, what was worse, was that those sort of nights were the ones that were your fault anyway.

That didn't really matter, though- Harry had grown used to the feeling that everything was his fault.

_'That's the problem with heroes. They may save the day every once and a while, but one blunder and your devoted fans are burning you at the stake.'_ He hated being the bloody Boy Who Lived. _'…I'm tired of playing savior.'_

…_Creeak…_

Utter silence saturated the scene as Harry realized that this time, the creak wasn't his fault. "…Hello?" He called softly into the darkness. Someone else was definitely here.

Gritting his teeth, Harry took out his wand with a steady hand.

XXX

An echoed call swam nervously through the dank air. _'…Hello…'_

"Um, hi." Katie answered the eerie sound in a whisper. Her attempt to stay calm obviously wasn't going too well.

Suddenly she halted her thudding footsteps to peer desperately into the distance. Katie could _always_ find her way on dark nights.

Just not foggy ones. She didn't have x-ray vision; it was the fog that got her every time.

Katie threw her arms up in frustration. Somehow along her little walk she had gotten lost- and was fast approaching a porch of the orphanage (front or back, she couldn't tell).

An alarming noise seeped from the creaky boards of the building- sort of like heavy breathing…

Without warning, Katie tripped and began falling forward into inky darkness.

Without hesitation, Katie screamed.

XXX

Harry was ready, in a flash his wand was up against the throat of his…attacker?

He doubted it- whatever it was had just emitted an ear-splitting scream.

As his eyesight began adjusting to the new figure that lay limply on the rotten wood, Harry realized with a pang that it was (of course) the person he had least wanted to see.

XXX

Katie knew who was pointing his wand at her throat by instinct. And only one thought was going through her head. _'Murphy's Law. Murphy's Law. Murphy's…'_ Murphy's Law: Anything that can go wrong, at the worst possible moment _will_ go wrong. Drat that muggle. He was right.

"What do you think you're doing?" Harry questioned suspiciously, jabbing Katie with his wand, then quickly pulling back upon seeing her more-than-murderous expression. "_Spying _on me, I suppose. I knew you weren't any good."

Reluctantly, Katie rolled over to face him and daintily set her back against a wall. Her grey eyes looked at him with an expression of utmost boredom and contempt.

"Don't flatter yourself."

"What ARE you doing here, then?"

"I was going for a bloody _walk_, genius. Now can you please stop poking me with your stupid wand?"

Harry grumbled as he tucked his wand back into the pocket of his robes. A long, venomous pause ensued as each head was filled with burning comments and images of the other crying- both Harry and Katie grinned to themselves. This was going to be fun.

XXX

Ron sighed. Two hours- _two bloody hours_ – and Harry still hadn't come back. _'I bet he thinks he's sneaky.' _he snorted moodily to himself. _'I bet he thinks we're all too thick to realize he's gone.'_

He sighed again, watching as his breath added to the already thicker-than-his-mom's-knit-sweaters fog. Maybe the reason Ron was so huffy had something to do with the fact that he couldn't feel over half of his body from numbness. No matter _what_ the reason, though, he'd have to do something about his best mate.

With one final sigh, Ron sat up and tried to rub some feeling into, for starters, his hands.

"Ron."

Slowly, he froze. The voice drifting toward him sounded cool, clear, and commanding- it could only be one person.

"Yes, Hermione?" Ron turned to face her, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't raise your eyebrow at me." she snapped irritably, eyes flashing through the fog.

"Mm, sorry." Ron was way too tired for this. And so was Hermione.

"Anyway, what I was _trying_ to get through your thick head is- I don't think it's the greatest idea to go after Harry.

"How did you-? Never mind." Why did Hermione always seem to know everything exactly when she wasn't supposed to?

It was Hermione's turn to raise an eyebrow.

Ron snorted. "Hypocrite."

"What?"

After staring at her incredulously, Ron broke into a huge grin. "Nothing."

"What're you smiling about?" Hermione quickly brushed the hair out of her face and quirked her head sideways. Her eyes were sharp and penetrating- but underneath it all maybe just a little amused.

"You really are very pretty, Hermione."

She blushed. "Oh, really, Ron- it's 2:34 in the morning. _No one_ could _possibly_ look pretty at this ungodly hour."

"Except you."

Hermione was trying her very best not to smile. Ron could tell.

"Go to bed, Ron."

"I love you too, Hermione." He leaned back into his sleeping bag, the fuzzy golden haze finally leaving his eyes. Hermione was mostly likely right about the whole Harry thing. Harry needed time to think. Alone. So why not give it to him?

Ron sighed.

"…Ron?"

"…Hmm?"

"Quit sighing, will you?"

XXX

"Do you think she likes me?"

"Is the pope catholic?"

"I'm _serious,_ Gred."

"You're _crazy_, Forge. That's what you are."

"Hey, don't look at me. You were the one with the beard."

Fred scratched absently at his chin, remembering his beard and grinning. "Yeah- you want one? I think I finally got the gist of that spell. But I'm not quite sure yet- haven't tested it."

"Just answer the question, Fred."

"It's Gred."

"Fine. Gred, then."

"Are you _blind_, mate? Of course she likes you. How could she _not _like someone with my face?" He winked slyly and added with a mischievous nudge, "She hugged you today."

"So? She's hugged _you_ before."

"Not like that."

"How'd she hug me?"

"…Like…she _liked_ you." After stating the obvious answer, Fred rolled his eyes. George was being an absolute _git_ tonight.

"So…do you think she likes me?"

"Shut UP, George! I can't take it anymore- this is the _third_ time we've had this idiotic conversation."

With a rather large grumble, George laid back down, a sort of smug feeling emanating from his countenance. "It's _Forge._" he muttered.

"Fine. Forge, then."

"Thank you."

"What's _wrong_ with you, anyway?"

George sat up suddenly, appearing to strain his ears to hear something. "Hear that?"

"You're my _brother,_ Forge. My _twin_ brother. If that's not a psychic connection, then I don't know what-"

"Shh!"

"No! I will not. I know something's up. And stop trying to change the-"

"Subject? I'm _not_. Listen."

Fred stared blankly at his clearly clinically insane brother. "I can't hear anything."

"Exactly. Katie usually talks in her sleep, right?"

"You know what's sad? You knowing that." Fred quipped with a sad shake of the head.

"I am _not_ clinically insane, you know."

"Whoa. I guess we really _are_ psychic, then."

"The point is- Katie's not here."

Both twins looked first at Katie's empty sleeping bag, then the foggy area surrounding them. "Any idea where she's off to?" Fred asked, inclining his head towards everything they _couldn't _see out in the white mist.

"Sorry mate. I haven't the foggiest."

"Shutup, George."

"…It's Forge."

XXX

_Okay, so maybe the end wasn't so dark. But, you know me. It's hard to be dark for a long period of time. So…what'd ya think? We're getting to the nitty gritty next chapter, I promise. On to the next horcrux._


	10. The Possibly Worse Predicament

**Unfortunate Relations**

_To my NEW reviewers (!)- Yay! I didn't know, honestly, that other people were reading it. So, thanks for the input._

_Author's Note: All I have to say- I'm not particularly fond of this chapter. Ah well, I suppose we can't win them all, can we? Or at least, we can't write them all well. Pity. _

Chapter Ten: The Possibly Worse Predicament

"Oh- _I _know what it is. Don't want to share the spotlight, do you, Harry? Afraid I'll steal your-"

"Stop messing with stuff you couldn't possibly know anything about." Harry cut in neatly, mentally screaming and trying desperately to keep it in. This was quite possibly the worst fight he'd ever been in- Katie knew where to hit.

And, on either side, the hits were becoming increasingly lower.

"I know nothing about you? Oh, _please_- spare me the drama. You're an open _book,_ Harry. And you know something? You're not that complex or interesting. Lucky, maybe, but-"

"But I guess my luck ran out, didn't it? The moment I met you, I mean."

Katie snorted, shrouding her face in mist. "Great comeback. Excuse me while I crawl into a corner and _cry._"

Harry really was trying very, very hard to keep his emotions level. Too bad it wasn't working. "You're not so different from him, are you?"

"Who?"

He smirked, knowing he had finally beaten her. "In fact, I can't really tell the difference."

Katie turned her head so she didn't have to make eye contact with Harry- she knew what he was talking about. It stung, like the tears unwillingly starting from her eyes, to know that Harry would use such an obvious weakness against her.

Harry, easily mistaking her silence for stupidity, broadened his grin. "Are you honestly that thick? _Voldemort_, Katie. Your uncle." Pausing, he anticipated some scathing reply that never came. So – like any stupid teenage boy – he kept going. "Alright- so what's next? You whip out your wand and curse me? You'd be good at it…_Katie_?"

She was wearing the most interesting and frightening expression; her body had gone rigid and her mouth was drawn into a tight line of resistance. At first glance, it had looked like anger, but…If Harry hadn't known any better, he'd have said she was being possessed.

The eerie urgency of the situation struck Harry at once, but it didn't matter- there was nothing he could do. Except possibly make it worse, which he rather wanted to avoid.

Gripping his wand tightly with his right hand, Harry watched Katie in a spellbound sort of horror.

"KATIE!"

XXX

_"You're not so different from him, are you?"_

_'He's right, Katie…you know that, don't you?'_

Cold voices flooded Katie's even colder mind- unmercifully filling her thoughts and ripping any shred of control from her body.

_'I just want you to know that, eventually, you'll give in. Maybe even sooner than you think.'_

She'd felt this before, but never so bad. Usually, she could fight whatever it was away.

_'But not this time.' _The voice whispered darkly,_ 'It's different, now.'_

"Why now?"

_'He's closer than you think.'_

Katie screamed, clutching at her head and leaning forward in agony. A searing pain raged up and down her veins- a pain that sought for control which she refused to give.

But it was almost as if she had no choice in the matter. She screamed again, hot tears streaming down her flaming cheeks as she unwillingly took out her wand.

She fought, but it didn't matter. Katie looked at Harry and knew she was going to kill him. Suddenly, before everything else took over, one solitary saving thought filled her mind.

She couldn't save Harry…but maybe _Harry_ could. Grasping all remaining willpower, Katie opened her mouth.

XXX

"_Stop me._" A burning throat, racked with pain, called so softly into the darkness that Harry barely knew if Katie had spoken or if he was just imagining things.

He started out of his reverie- as much as he hated Katie, he didn't want to have to hurt her. Not like that much mattered, because Katie would kill him if he didn't figure out how to stop her. A spell? Right. Because _every_ Hogwarts student was taught how to unpossess random passersby.

Her crying eyes pleaded with him, begging him to do _something_. "_Avada ke-_"

"NO!" Instinctively Harry's taut body sprang forward as a filmy red began to cloud Katie's eyes. He grappled for her wand, grabbing her wrist and holding on with a deathly grip.

Victoriously, Harry held Katie's wrist high, trying to grab her wand with his other hand. At least it worked- his sudden move had surprised her. Or…not. Katie (or whatever it was that had taken _over_ Katie) violently ripped her hand from his and repeatedly sunk her fist into his stomach, her lightning-swift blows leaving a stinging burn in their wake.

Without thinking of what else he could possibly do, Harry lunged toward Katie and threw both of them to the ground.

XXX

A banshee-like shriek split the sky more effectively than a thunder storm- in a flash Ron, Hermione and the twins were out of their warm beds, risking the cold night for a possibly worse predicament.

"Whazzat!" Ron's speech slurred a little, and his eyes blinked heavily from a serious lack of sleep and warmth.

The sarcasm in Fred's voice was maybe just a little too evident. "A scream, Ron."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" George questioned in a doomed whisper.

For a moment everyone just looked at him. It's very hard to think when your _brain's_ frozen over. But, being by far the smartest of the bunch, Hermione's brain naturally thawed before the rest.

"Let's go find out where it came from."

Everyone but Fred (who continued staring wistfully and surreptitiously at his sleeping bag) nodded in resolute determination.

"Right, then. Forward, march!" Ron stated in what he thought was a brisk tone.

They all knew who was causing the commotion, though. Their brains could have been made of swiss cheese- they could have had no brains at all- and they _still_ would have known.

All four were wondering what on _earth_ Harry and Katie had been up to.

Unfortunately for them, they were about to find out.

XXX

As Katie's mind swam towards consciousness, she became aware of a comfortably pressing warmth weighing down on her like a heavy blanket.

She tried frantically to remember (which was hard because of the dull throbbing in back of her head) – where was she? Oh. That's right. She had lifted her wand to kill Harry-

Kill? Harry? Bloody hell.

Her eyes snapped open- and Katie immediately sucked in air. The subject of her worry was staring concernedly into her face, his hot breath fastly spreading a furious blush across Katie's cheeks.

The situation wouldn't have been so unsettling if Harry wasn't pressed on top of her, his eyes boring deeply into her own and his face nearly touching hers. She shifted nervously under Harry, loving and hating this ridiculously uncomfortable position both found themselves in.

Katie suddenly had the most compulsive urge to close the already narrowing gap with her mouth. _'What am I thinking?' _She questioned herself in an accusing tone as she quickly pushed the shocking impulse far from her mind. She was supposed to hate him. She _did_ hate him. Right?

"Well…" Katie breathed, pulling back just enough to stop their lips from meeting. "This is awkward." She watched, eyes keenly intent on Harry's own, which had closed expectantly when both had leaned forward. Green orbs slowly (unwillingly) opened, mouth closed firmly in embarrassed disappointment.

Harry couldn't help but grin. "Yeah."

"So…" Katie's voice trailed off into the mist. She found that her will to resist any and every temptation was fastly fading.

"Um, Harry."

"Yeah?" he whispered huskily back, his wicked grin still hovering tauntingly only inches from her mouth.

"You're kind of on top of me."

"Oh- sorry." he mumbled, hopping up and helping Katie to her feet in one swift motion. Harry thought he saw an almost apologetic glint in her eyes when she opened her mouth to speak..

"It's not as if I didn't want – " Katie quickly clapped a hand over her mouth, letting dark hair fall in front of her face. It would never work. Katie knew that. She didn't exactly know why it wouldn't, and she didn't exactly not want it to, but it wouldn't. "It- it's not as if I didn't want you to save me." She ended lamely.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Are you alright?"

Katie touched the back of her head and winced. "I'll be okay- it's just my head." She watched as relief touched Harry's face and inevitably hers as well. "Oh- how are _you_? I really _am _sorry about trying to kill you- it wasn't my fault. Honestly."

Harry laughed. "No harm here. But…" his expression darkened, "What_ was _that, Katie?"

Turning away from him, Katie didn't say a word. Partly because she didn't want to have to talk about it, and partly because she didn't even know the answer.

He seemed to understand though, and mercifully began filling the silence. "Katie…I want to apologize. I- I shouldn't have said those things-"

"It's fine. I said some bad stuff, too." Katie smiled, wondering if she had ever experienced a more bipolar night. Nonchalantly she reached out to rest on the wall behind her and found a door knob.

An immediate pain suddenly coursed through her fingers. Katie swore under her breath and pulled back- the throbbing sensation stopped abruptly.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked tensely. After this night he was prepared for almost anything.

But Katie didn't answer him. Instead, she simply knelt down to examine the rusted bronze door handle. Curiosity commanded Harry's mind, and soon he stooped down beside her to inspect it as well.

The handle had an intricate design; twisting and turning in such a strange, undulating pattern that it almost seemed to distort wildly of its own accord. Katie's slender fingers traced along the knob's outline, and her features set into a grim line.

Suddenly, the strange and almost foreign pattern made sense to Harry. There was no keyhole, no lock to pick. The design, carved out so elaborately onto the bronze, was a Dark Mark.

With a knowing sort of stance, Katie whipped around to face Harry, stopping as she once again faced a disconcerting lack of space between both faces.

"I think I might know how to get in."

XXX

"Are we almost there?"

"I don't know! I can't see _anything_ through this idiotic fog."

"Can fog be idiotic?"

"Not as idiotic as _you_, but yeah. Sure."

"At least there've been no more screams." Hermione's hushed voice descended on all four like the plague; complete quiet came over everyone. It was true, the screams had stopped- that could be a good thing, but just as easily it could be bad.

"We're _never_ going to get there in time!" Ron complained, angrily kicking up a tuft of dirt and letting it fly into the night.

"Don't say that, Ron. We'll make it." Hermione put her hand in Ron's, and Ron gripped it in tight reassurance.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. You're right."

But they weren't going to make it. And they all knew it. The twins had become silent as soon as Hermione had spoken. What could have happened? With Katie's luck, anything bad. They knew that- and were trying hard not to think of it.

"I swear this fog's getting thicker every minute." George muttered darkly.

Fred stuck his head up, and looked wonderingly around them. "You know, George? I actually think you're right. The fog _is_ getting thicker."

Again, no one said anything. A mutual understanding lay in each person tonight- a sense of togetherness and desperation drew them closer together somehow.

Something was definitely behind this fog- the way it hung oppressively and continued to thicken made it seem as if someone was deliberately _trying_ to keep them from getting to the orphanage in time.

And the worst part was that they could do absolutely nothing about it.

XXX

"I know how to get in," she repeated reluctantly, "But I don't think it's going to help anything really."

Harry's expectant face sunk into an almost angry confusion. "What do you mean it's not going to help anything? We'll be _in._ Then we'll destroy the horcrux." He said it so simply, like a child who put absolute faith in a parent.

"Do you really think it'll be that easy?" Katie questioned in a wondering voice. "Tom won't just test us physically, you know. And it's not going to just be figuring out how to break the spells. He's going to try to set us against each other. Which won't be too hard, considering you don't care much for me and the feeling's mutual on my side. This test may seem like a game, but it's our _lives_ we're fighting for."

"Thanks for the heart warming speech, Katie. Now are you going to open it or not?"

Katie sighed, and with a flick of her wrist lifted up the sleeve of her robe. The suspicion that had plagued Harry until just a few minutes ago came back strong.

'_A dark mark? Doesn't that prove it, then? She's with him. She's a death eater.' _ Harry watched Katie wince almost as though she could hear his thoughts. Despite all his mistrust, he could see the mark definitely wasn't something she could ever be proud of.

"Do you happen to have a knife on you?"

"A _what?_"

"Oh, never mind- I'll do it." Muttering a curse under her breath, Katie transfigured a fallen twig into a sharp, glistening knife. _'McGonagall certainly never taught us _that _trick.'_

Painstakingly, Katie began carving out the dark mark onto her already marked wrist, tracing its dark tattoo outline with her bloody blade. Harry found himself putting a hand on her tense shoulder to keep Katie calm, but even as he did, several stinging tears fell from her chin to mingle with the blood seeping from her wrist.

"Can- can you fix that?" Harry asked worriedly.

"Sure. I can repair the veins, anyways. It'll still bleed a little." Katie tilted her head so she could look at Harry, and grinned- wiping away the tears from her grey eyes. The clean pain cutting into her skin was well hidden behind Katie's now expressionless face. "Don't lose sleep over this, Harry- I know how to take care of myself." _'Thank God, otherwise I'd be dead by now.'_

For one brief moment, Katie imagined what her life would be like if she didn't _need_ to know how to take care of herself- if someone else was there to do it for her. Too bad she would never know what that was like. Too bad she was Voldemort's niece.

Katie leaned forward, Harry's arm still gripping tightly to her shoulder, and pressed the bloody mess against the door design. Pulling back, both gazed in numb horror as the bronze handle turned a rusted red. _Click._

The door silently swung open- only to reveal a dark interior that no outside light dared penetrate.

"Should we wait for the others?"

Harry firmly shook his head. "We haven't the time! Who knows how long this door will stay open. And I'm _not_ letting you do _that-_" here he pointed towards her reddened wrist, "again."

Without another word, glance, or thought, Katie and Harry stepped into the orphanage.

The door slammed shut behind them.

But, you already knew that was going to happen, didn't you?

XXX

Literally seconds later, the twins, Ron and Hermione ran up the steps of the back porch.

"They're not here."

"Oh, please don't tell me we went to the _wrong porch_!"

"'Fraid so, Ron."

Everyone turned round to go the other way, when Hermione grabbed Ron's hand with icy fingers. "Look." She pointed at the door, but she really didn't need to.

It was kind of hard to miss the blood.

XXX

_This one was actually pretty dark, huh? That's a first for me. Usually now, my chapters are funny. Anyway, you may hate me for leaving out the rest of the gang, you may not. It was necessary though, believe me. Don't worry- they'll have a piece of the action next. I may even cook up something for them to do while Harry and Katie are on their little escapade. Oh, and just one more thing: Who do you like together more, _

_1. George and Katie_

_**Or**_

_2. Harry and Katie_


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